


“Apologise for Collateral Damage”

by FlamboyantScientist



Series: Love Kills - FFXV AU [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Character Death, Drug Use, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Royalty AU, Soulmate AU, Violence, its still not as dark as it sounds i promise, part 2 not so much, well i mean part 1 is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22038784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamboyantScientist/pseuds/FlamboyantScientist
Summary: He’d had a dream all of his life to find his mother. To prove to his brother that they were wanted, that they had a family.This was his chance to find his dream.Who knew one goal would cause so many problems?<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>It’s been nine months and my summaries are still crapTitle is from ‘Mercenary’ by Panic! At The DiscoPart 2 of a series!!! Please read part 1 firstAnd just like part 1, this is an OC fic so don’t like, don’t read :)2021 edit- yeah these are bad and I am a little embarrassed by this series lol, but live and learn; I leave all works connected to my account to show my journey and where I came from :)) that being said, i am no longer going to complete the third part to this series
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Ignis Scientia/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Love Kills - FFXV AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586056
Kudos: 1





	“Apologise for Collateral Damage”

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to part two of whatever the hell this is! It won’t make sense without reading the first part, and if you have and just can’t remember it, here are some points that need to be recognised: 
> 
> \- Prompto and Armand were trained as soldiers/killers since they were young children, they are NOT nice people. They are LEARNING to be. Some of their morals may be questionable. 
> 
> \- This sequel delves more into Prompto and Armand’s backstory, into how they think and how they work. 
> 
> \- I’ve tried to keep Prompto’s happy-go-lucky personality mixed into his damaged past, which has been a challenge, but I hope I’ve pulled it off. He is still the same character as he is in the games, but he’s fitted into my AU. 
> 
> \- This has focused more on Prompto and Armand’s relationship as brothers, rather than their respective romantic relationships. However those relationships still play a massive part. 
> 
> \- Ardyn made a phone call in the first part to an unknown receiver, this is what it said:  
> \- “Yes, I know,” An unfamiliar voice drawled, “But they’re out of the way now. The only three you told me about from the Federation are gone. The bodyguards are down in the dungeons and the lady who trains them I sent on a oneway trip out of the country.” There was a pause, “I am aware. But I need them alive for this. I need the citizens to see that they’re not true to this country. They won’t take my word for it. Yes, alright. I’ll see you soon.”  
> \- ^ It is important for this part. 
> 
> There is a fictional language in this, so I’ll put a dictionary here and at the end it’s loosely based off of German, because I am not creative :) 
> 
> Gralean Dictionary:  
> Soldats - Soldiers  
> mütter - mother  
> ruhet - weed (basically)  
> Seche - Six  
> Schwanz - shit head  
> ashiterr - trainer  
> leimed - Sorry  
> Regnet es dort - Is it raining?  
> Arschloch - asshole  
> Verzeihung, ich muss die kameras live sehen - Excuse me, I need to see the camera’s live feed  
> jetzt sofort - right away  
> Eure Hoheit - your highness

“We should stop at the next service station, we’re almost out of gas.” 

Armand looked up, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. After leaving Niflheim, Armand had been enthralled by the hot days coming with the summer months. He’d worn shorts for the first time in his life, and plaited the side of his hair into a ponytail. 

After their escape from Niflheim and fight with Ardyn, Ignis and Armand returned to Insomnia with the others for a week or so, to stay for the funerals and to buy Armand and Prompto the necessities they didn’t have. Once they’d made sure everything would be okay, the two had taken the Regalia at Noct’s insistence, and left to follow Ignis’ lead about Armand and Prompto’s mother. 

“Sure thing,” Armand agreed, folding up the huge map that he had across his knees, “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry anyways.” 

“Me too,” Ignis nodded, “We’ve been on the road for a while now.” 

“No regrets yet?” Armand asked in a small voice. 

“None at all,” Ignis reassured, “We talked about this before we left. If I feel like I want to go back, I’ll tell you. But I won’t.” 

“Alright, fine,” Armand rolled blue eyes fondly, but dropped the subject when he spotted buildings in the distance, “Hey, where is that?” 

“Lestellum,” Ignis answered, “It’s a city ran primarily by women. You’ve... never heard of it?” 

“No,” Armand shook his head, leaning on the car door with his forearms, “We were only ever told about Gralea, Tenebrae, and Insomnia.” 

Armand and his older brother, Prompto, had been taken from their birth mother as children and raised by the Federation of _Soldats_ in Niflheim. They had lived in the Royal Family’s palace and acted the part of princes in order to protect their queen. Because of this, neither one had left Niflheim, until almost two years ago when they were taken to meet their Soulmates. 

Ignis pulled over into a gas station at the edge of Lestellum, popping the door open to refill the tank. Armand climbed into the backseat so they could carry on talking. 

“You’ve been here before?” The blond questioned. 

“Once or twice,” Ignis replied, “When we were passing for one reason or another. It’s nice, if a little hot for my tastes.” 

“I like the hot,” Armand shrugged, “So, it’s never snowed here?” 

“Not many places in Lucis have snow,” Ignis finished filling the gas up and closed the cap before leaning on the door of the car, “Do you think you’ll miss it?” 

“The snow, or Gralea?” Armand grinned, “I don’t think I will. I’ve never really liked it there. Smoking isn’t illegal here.” 

Ignis gave a reserved smile, and leaned forward to kiss his Soulmate, “You still taste sweet.” 

Armand laughed, flushing a little, “I’m a sweet guy.” 

“The sweetest,” Ignis agreed, climbing back into the drivers seat. 

He turned the ignition and drove the car out of the station, and then into the car park a little further away. He reversed into an empty space, then took the keys out and turned to Armand.

“Food, then?” He offered. 

“Yes, please,” Armand said, climbing out of the car to meet his Soulmate, his limp almost gone, a result of falling down some stairs during the battle with Ardyn. 

He reached out to twine their fingers together, and let Ignis lead him up the steps and across the road, into the bustling streets of Lestellum. 

They walked down the cobblestone roads, until Ignis pulled them down an alleyway and out to a small restaurant based outside, with plastic tables and chairs set next to a market. 

“What would you like?” Ignis asked before they sat down, “I’ll go and order.” 

“Surprise me,” Armand smiled, but the truth was he simply had no idea what to ask for. 

While Ignis was gone to speak to a waiter, Armand pulled a small piece of paper from his back pocket. He unfolded it, and read the words written there in a stranger’s handwriting. He turned it over, then back again, flitting it between his fingers thoughtfully. 

“You keep reading that,” Ignis stated, pulling out the chair opposite his Soulmate to sit down. 

“I can’t help it,” Armand replied, sliding his sunglasses back up his nose, “It just... we’re getting closer.” 

“Are you nervous?” 

“I’m excited,” Armand corrected, “I’ve always wondered what she’d be like.” 

“Well, now you have her name,” Ignis reached over the table and took the slip of paper from Armand’s hands, “Belinda Argentum. I’d always assumed the Federation changed your name when they took you.”

“I did for while, too,” Armand said, “But I asked Aranea about it. She said that the Feds didn’t change the babies’ names because of how many there were. There was no point, so they never changed them.” 

“Couldn’t the parents track their children down?” Ignis asked. 

“They could, some do,” Armand responded, “But if the Federation finds out you are, they take you out. And not in the nice way.” 

“So, Niflheim is messed up,” Ignis summarised, handing the slip of paper back and squeezing Armand’s hand over the table. 

“Oh yeah, totally corrupted,” Armand nodded, “Two major rivals both wanted to be in charge; the Royals and the Feds. But both of them are going about the wrong way. Niflheim will collapse one day. I don’t want to be there to see it.” 

“You won’t be,” Ignis said, rubbing his thumb over Armand’s knuckles, “You’ll be here, with me.” 

“The only place I’d want to be,” Armand smiled. 

Just then, the waiter came back over with two plates of food, placing them in front of the pair, “Enjoy!” 

“Thank you,” Ignis nodded, letting go of Armand’s hand so they could eat. 

“I promised Prom I’d call him tomorrow morning,” Armand said around a mouthful of food, “He said Noct wanted to ask you something.” 

“Of course he does,” Ignis rolled his eyes, “That man can barely function by himself.” 

“Isn’t it awkward, travelling with me but still being expected to do your job?” Armand asked nonchalantly. 

Ignis arched his brow, “Stop questioning this, you know I don’t mind. And no, it’s not. Noctis has Gladio and Prompto in Insomnia, and me just a phone call away. You need to stop second guessing this; I want to be here, Armour.” 

Armand didn’t reply, taking another mouthful of his food instead. 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Ignis said, listening as Armand made a positive hum in response, “Why didn’t Prompto come? He never showed much interest in finding your mother.” 

“He doesn’t really care,” Armand replied, “He settled with the Queen as our _mütter_ , but I didn’t. I wanted to know more. I still do. He wants to meet her though, if we find her, eventually.”

“We will, don’t worry,” Ignis reassured. 

“No regrets?” Armand asked again, looking over the top of his sunglasses. 

“No regrets,” Ignis answered. 

The pair finished their meals, and Ignis paid the waiter, saying he hadn’t taken Armand out on nearly enough dates since they’d met. They left the restaurant, and wandered around the markets for a bit so Ignis could look for ingredients. Then Ignis took Armand to see the huge factory behind the city, run only by women. 

Before long, they’d burnt pretty much the entire afternoon at Lestellum, and only noticed when the sun began to dip below the horizon. 

Armand had since lit a joint of _ruhet_ , and was leaning over the bars near the factory with Ignis next to him. 

“This has been nice,” He said, breathing smoke out into the air, “Spending the day like this. I’ve enjoyed it.” 

“I’m glad,” Ignis smiled, “I have too.” 

Armand pulled his phone from his back pocket, checking the time idly, “Wow, it got late fast.” 

“Come on, there’s a hotel in the plaza,” Ignis held his hand out for Armand to take, and pulled him away from the fence. 

“Ah, careful, my foot,” Armand winced, hopping a little when he started walking, “I’ve been walking on it too much.” 

“I could carry you?” Ignis suggested. 

“No, thanks, I’ll be fine,” Armand said, immediately, “I’ll walk.” 

“Are you sure?” Ignis asked. 

“Definitely sure,” Armand nodded, squeezing Ignis’ fingers, and letting him lead the way towards the plaza. 

They got to the open courtyard, with a low fountain in the centre and a tall building in the corner with a huge banner at the side reading; 

‘The Leville’

“That looks expensive, Iggy,” Armand pointed out, “Are you sure?” 

“Definitely sure,” Ignis mimicked, “Noct’s treat, if you’d rather.” 

Armand made a noise at the back of his throat and dropped the _ruhet_ , stepping on it to put it out. But as tiredness set in and the ache in his foot started to get worse, the blond agreed and followed his Soulmate inside the grande building. 

Ignis quickly booked a room, took the key from the receptionist and supported Armand up the stairs and to a hotel room. 

The room was huge, with a double bed in the centre of the wall, with a bedside table on either side and a couple of armchairs in front of a tall curtained window. Armand all but threw himself on the bed when he saw it, groaning when he sunk into the pillows. 

“I am exhausted,” He huffed, smushing his face into a pillow. 

He heard Ignis chuckle, then felt him sit on the edge of the bed to unlace his boots. 

“Not too expensive, then?” The Advisor questioned. 

“Not if the pillows feel like this, it’s not,” Armand replied, willing himself to sink further into the mattress, “It’s so comfy.” 

“Boots, off,” Ignis instructed, knocking Armand’s toes, “Don’t expect your foot to heal itself if you don’t look after it.” 

Armand grumbled, but rolled over and unlaced his boots. He pulled them off one by one and threw them across the room to deal with in the morning. 

“Shorts off as well, you can’t sleep in jeans,” Ignis stated, standing up and placing his shoes neatly by the door. 

“If you want to get me out of my clothes, all you had to do was ask,” Armand said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“I did,” Ignis replied, “You’ll thank me in the morning.” 

Armand stood up, on one foot, and took his shorts off, leaving him in a pair of boxer shorts, a lose t-shirt and socks. He flopped backwards onto the bed, and wiggled around a bit until he was under the covers properly. 

Ignis rolled his eyes fondly, having already sorted himself out, and turned the light off. Armand leaned over to the bedside table to turn the lamp on as Ignis crawled under the duvet next to him. 

“A good day, then?” Ignis raised an eyebrow. 

“A very good day,” Armand responded, rolling back over and resting his head on Ignis’ chest, “Thank you.” 

“You’re very welcome,” Ignis smiled, “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” Armand returned through a yawn, pressing his face into Ignis’ neck, “G’night, lover.” 

“Good night, love.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Insomnia, Prompto decided, wasn’t too different from Gralea. Aside from the less corruption, the less problematic Royal Family, the better education and healthcare system, no rogue Federations kidnapping children, no— 

Insomnia, Prompto decided, was very different from Gralea. But as he sat on a table in an office that didn’t belong to him, surrounded by files and pieces of paper, he was reminded of the amount of things going wrong in his home country. 

“Why is everything so much work?” Noct huffed, throwing down a bunch of papers, “Shouldn’t I have someone to do this for me?” 

“Yeah, he’s called Iggy, and he’s on a road trip with his Soulmate right now,” Gladiolus replied, walking into the office with three cups of coffee. He handed one to Prompto, and put one on a coaster for Noct before taking the last one for himself. 

“Cheer up, Noct!” Prompto shrugged, “You don’t have to do it all today. Take a break if you need to.” 

“I’m not even king yet,” The crown prince muttered, “I need a nap.” 

“Then go and take one,” Gladiolus said, “What’s stopping you?” 

Noct held up a bunch of papers and raised an eyebrow. 

“I vote for take the nap,” Prompto said. 

“Me too,” Gladiolus agreed. 

Noctis sighed, then put the papers back down again, “Yeah. Me too.” 

“Go on, Princess, nap time,” Gladio ordered, pushing Noct from the office chair and out of the door, “Sort all of this out later.” 

Noctis nodded, yawned, and wandered out of the office. Gladio shook his head fondly, and began gathering up all the documents and files littered across the desk. Prompto stood up to do his part, but got distracted by the tall window in the wall and the view outside that stretched for miles and miles, of just Insomnia. 

“Your city’s huge,” He commented. 

“I know,” Gladio nodded, “But Gralea wasn’t exactly small.” 

“Compared to here, it is,” Prompto responded, not looking around. 

Gladio paused, pulling away from the desk to look at the blond, “You’re worried about something.” He realised. 

Prompto turned round, frowning, “What would I be worried about?” 

“A bunch of things, I guess,” Gladio shrugged, resting against the desk, “I’d be surprised if you weren’t worried. Want to talk?” 

Prompto averted his eyes, “It’s fine. It’s stupid, anyway.” 

“Nothing is stupid,” Gladio dismissed, “What’s wrong?” 

Prompto sighed, sitting backwards on the windowsill, “I’m scared you guys are gonna leave me behind. I’m scared Armand already has.” 

“We’re not going to leave you behind,” Gladio reassured immediately, “And Armand isn’t here now, but I’m sure he’d say the same.” 

“But he’s not here right now,” Prompto said, “That’s my point. He’s left.” 

“My guess, is that he’s grieving, in a way,” Gladio suggested, “Both of you have been through a lot these past few weeks. Aranea—“ 

“Please don’t,” Prompto pleaded weakly, squeezing his eyes closed, “Don’t.” 

“Sorry,” Gladiolus apologised, “But my point is, you guys need time. And maybe Armand is better off spending some time distracting himself. Maybe you should do the same.” 

“Why are you okay?” Prompto asked, opening his eyes as a tear rolled down his cheek, “You lost your dad. So did Noct. You guys seem fine.” 

“I’m not,” Gladio replied, “I’m falling apart. But I’m keeping myself busy, for Noct and for Iris. Because they need me right now. Of course I’m grieving, but everyone’s different.” 

Prompto nodded silently, wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve, “I just... We were trained for everything. But we weren’t trained for death.” 

“No one can be trained for death,” Gladio murmured, “C’mere.” 

Prompto pushed himself from the window and into Gladiolus’ arms. The shield pulled the soldier close, hugging him to his chest. 

“Listen, Prompto,” He said, “If you ever need to talk, I’m here for you. And so’s Noct.” 

“Thanks,” Prompto whispered, nodding. 

Gladio nodded back, then pulled back a little to look Prompto in the eye, “And for the record, I’m not leaving you behind.” 

He leaned in slightly, and kissed Prompto gently, lips lingering as he pulled away slowly. 

“I came back for my coffee, but now I want kisses, too.” 

The pair looked to the doorway to see Noct walking into the room. He headed straight over to Gladio, and kissed him sweetly. Then he turned to Prompto and kissed him too, the soldier making a surprised noise at the contact. Noctis pulled away, grinning. 

“You’re not a bad kisser, Prom,” He commented happily, then leaned over the desk to grab his coffee. 

“Won’t that wake you up even more?” Prompto asked, still blushing a little. 

“Noct has drunk so much coffee through his life, it gives him about a minute of buzz, then a three hour crash,” Gladio explained. 

“Yup,” Noct agreed, “Hey, Glad, you don’t need Prompto, do you?” 

“Not really, why?” The shield asked. 

“Nap time,” Noct replied, “Come on, Prom.” 

“Oh! Okay. Sure,” Prompto agreed, and followed the prince out of the office. 

Noct led the way down a few corridors in the Citadel, then up a flight of stairs and into a room at the end of a hallway. He flipped the light on when he got there, revealing a large room with a kingsized bed in the middle of the wall and a low table with a few chairs around it opposite a flatscreen TV over a games console. The room had a fairly dark interior, different from the rooms Prompto and his brother had stayed in during their eight days in Insomnia almost two years before. 

“I don’t usually stay in the Citadel,” Noct said, placing his coffee on a coaster on the table, “That’s why it’s so spotless here. I have an apartment further out in the city.” 

“You’re the crown prince and you have an apartment?” Prompto raised an eyebrow, watching as Noct kicked his shoes off and headed to a chest of drawers. 

“Yeah, it was Iggy and my dad’s idea,” Noct explained, and Prompto forced himself to ignore how Noct’s voice wavered as he talked, “To make me more independent, or something. But, y’know, I like my apartment. Here.” The prince turned and threw some pyjamas at Prompto, “They’ll probably fit you. They might be a bit big, though. Bathroom’s over there, by the way.” 

“It’s fine,” Prompto shrugged, ducking into the bathroom that Noct pointed out. 

He changed and took his contacts out quickly, leaning the bathroom (with a hot tub. What kind of bathroom has a hot tub!?) blurry eyed in time to see Noct launch himself into his bed. Prompto shook his head, and placed his neatly folded clothes on top of the dresser, leaving his shoes neatly tucked to the side. 

“You know, you’re really cute,” Noctis said casually. 

Prompto turned, looking sceptical, at his Soulmate cocooned in a white blanket, “What are you going on about?” 

“You,” Noctis shrugged, “You fold your clothes so nicely. I just...” He nodded, and  
Prompto noticed the pile of clothes scattered around the floor. 

“Yeah, well, this is your room,” Prompto responded, “I was being polite.” 

“Stop being polite and come and cuddle me,” Noct whined instead. 

Prompto rolled his eyes with a smile, and did as the prince asked. He was barely in the bed before Noct had winded his arms around the soldier like an octopus. 

“Better?” Prompto raised an eyebrow. 

“Almost,” Noct said, getting himself comfortable before looking up at his Soulmate, “Do I get a goodnight kiss?” 

“You’re a child,” Prompto insisted, but kissed the prince anyway, “Better now?” 

“Yes,” Noctis answered, finally lying still, “Hey, Prompto?” 

“Yeah, Noct?” Prompto said. 

“Thanks for being awesome.” 

When Noctis woke up the next morning, the other side of the bed was empty and cold. Which wasn’t surprising, considering Noct usually slept with Gladiolus who was always up at the crack of dawn. However, he didn’t sleep with Gladio last night and he could hear a voice in his bedroom. 

He rolled over in his ridiculously large bed to see Prompto sat on his windowsill, one leg propped up with his phone to his ear. He was looking out the window as he talked, and hadn’t noticed Noct wake up. 

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” He said, “Uh-huh. Yeah.” 

And other than filler words and reactions like that, Noct had no idea what Prompto was saying. It was Armand on the phone, Noctis decided, as he didn’t know anyone else who spoke the language with Prompto. 

Eventually, Prompto bid his brother goodbye and hung up the phone. He tossed it next to him on the windowsill, leaning his head back against the wall. 

“Your hair is sticking out everywhere,” Noct croaked, voice thick with sleep, “Cute.” 

Prompto looked round, “It’s not cute, it’s embarrassing.” 

Noct frowned, “Are you... wearing glasses?” 

Prompto self-consciously nudged the black frames with his fingers, “Uh. Yeah?” 

“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” Noct said. 

“I am kinda blind,” The soldier laughed awkwardly, “I usually wear contacts, they’re easier to fight in.” 

“Was that Armand?” Noct asked, sitting himself up against the headboard and running a hand through his hair. 

“Yeah,” Prompto nodded, rearranging himself so he could see Noctis properly, “He’s in Lestellum, with Ignis.” 

“Lestellum?” Noct whistled, “They went far out.” 

“I’ve never really heard of it before, but Armand says it’s nice there,” Prompto shrugged, resting his head back against the window, “He also said that Ignis’ lead was good. They found her name.” 

“Your mother’s name?” Noct repeated excitedly, “That’s amazing! They’re getting close.” 

Prompto hummed, nodding, “Belinda Argentum.” 

“The name doesn’t ring a bell,” Noct said, “But it’s pretty. Wouldn’t you rather be out there with them, looking for her?” 

Prompto shook his head, “Nah. If they find her, of course I’d love to meet her but... I’m not really bothered.” 

“I never really knew my mother,” Noct said thoughtfully, “I have a few pictures, a couple of memories but... I didn’t really _know_ her.” 

“She died?” Prompto questioned. 

Noct nodded, “When I was little. I’m glad Armand’s getting somewhere. Who knows, maybe by the end of the week, he’d have met your mother.” 

“Scary...” Prompto breathed. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Armand looked up from his phone when he heard the door open, “There you are. I wondered if you’d left me here.” 

Ignis smiled, “Sorry. I bought breakfast?” He offered, holding up to small paper bags. 

Armand stood from the bed to take one, taking the pastry out from inside, “Thanks, smells good.” He kissed his Soulmate chastely before biting into the pastry. 

“Did I hear you talking before I came in?” Ignis raised an eyebrow, as Armand went back to sit on the bed. 

“I was on the phone to Prompto,” Armand explained briefly, “Just updating him and stuff. Noct’s stressed about all the work, apparently, and Gladio’s doing okay. They’re both helping Noct out.” 

“That’s good,” Ignis commented, “I’ll call them later, see if they need any help with anything else.” 

“Are we setting out?” Armand asked, still munching his way through the pastry. 

“If you’re ready, then yes,” Ignis agreed, patting his pockets down to make sure he had his phone. 

“Sure,” Armand grabbed his own phone from the bed and went to join his Soulmate. 

The couple headed downstairs and out of The Leville. Armand threw his and Ignis’ paper bags into a bin once they were finished, and tucked his hands into his pockets. His fingers curled around the piece of paper, still in his shorts from the night before, and pulled it out to read it again. 

The words were the same, a name in scrawly black writing from a hunter called Dave they’d met up with practically in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, he’d met her once and did a few jobs for her. She paid him well, but he had no idea where she was now. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Ignis stated, taking Armand’s free hand in his own, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Armand replied, “I just don’t know where to start.” 

“We could ask around, I guess,” Ignis suggested, “Head back to where Dave said he met her and see if anyone knows her around there. ‘Belinda Argentum’ isn’t exactly a common name, I’m sure we’ll be able to find her.” 

“Sorry,” Someone said, stopping them in the street, “Did you say Belinda Argentum?” 

Armand and Ignis exchanged a look. 

“Yes,” Ignis responded, “You wouldn’t happen to know where to find her, would you?” 

“Yeah, I do!” The man said, “She grows these great plants and flowers; to go in potions and stuff. They really help. She’s an apothecary, that’s why you’re looking for her?” 

“Yup,” Armand lied, agreeing instantly. 

“Yeah, she lives in the middle of nowhere, it’s no biggie,” The man smiled, “I’ll give you her address. Do you have a pen?” 

Ignis pulled one from his pocket and handed it to the man, who grabbed a flyer from a nearby sales person and started scribbling on the back of it. Then, two other men came over to join the first. 

“Hey, man, what are you doing?” The second man asked. 

“These two are looking for Belinda Argentum,” The first one explained briefly, “I was just helping them out.” 

“Oh, yeah, she’s so nice. Once, I was doing a hunt around her house and got injured pretty badly,” The second man nodded solemnly, “She took me in and made me some tea. I was healed within the hour.” 

The third man narrowed his eyes, “I wouldn’t trust her,” He said to Ignis, “I heard she was a Niff.”

Ignis’ felt Armand stiffen next to him. The Advisor squeezed his Soulmate’s hand. 

“I’m sure we’ll be okay,” He assured, taking the flyer from the first man, “Thank you for your help.” 

“No problem, I hope you find her,” The first man smiled again, “See ya. Come on, guys.” 

And then the three walked away. 

“That seemed convenient,” Armand muttered with a frown, “We just so happen to mention her name when we walk past a guy who knows where she is? It seems a little suspicious to me.” 

“Maybe we’re just not used to being lucky,” Ignis wagered, “We should take a look at this address, and see. If it doesn’t seem proper, we’ll leave.” 

“Okay,” Armand agreed hesitantly, “We’ll take a look.” 

The car ride to the address was about an hour long, and exactly as the guy had said, the house was in the middle of nowhere. They pulled over the Regalia into a parking space at the side of the road, but neither of them got out the car. 

The house didn’t look too big. Two stories, made of brick with ivy growing over a large portion of it. There was a fence lining the perimeter of the land, and out the front of the house was a garden growing all sorts of colourful flowers and plants. 

Crouched in the garden, Armand noticed, was a woman with a wicker basket. From the distance, Armand couldn’t make out a lot, but she looked to be a plump woman dressed in demon dungarees and a fair coloured t-shirt. 

Armand slid his sunglasses up onto his forehead, and reached across the gearstick to grab Ignis’ hand, “Look. It’s her.” 

The woman stood up, and picked up her basket. She walked back into the house and closed the door behind her. 

Armand’s heart rate picked up as he sat studying the house. 

“What would you like to do?” Ignis asked calmly. 

Armand forced himself to look away from the house and towards his Soulmate, “What...? What would you do?” 

Ignis breathed out slowly, thinking, “I really couldn’t say. I think maybe, asking if she is Belinda Argentum might be the first step. If it’s not her, we’re just wasting our time.” 

“I didn’t think we’d get here so fast,” Armand admitted, “I thought this would take longer.” 

Ignis squeezed Armand’s fingers comfortingly, “No regrets.” 

“No regrets,” Armand repeated with a nod, “Then I guess... we knock?” 

“We knock,” Ignis confirmed. 

The couple got out of the car and walked across the field towards the house. There was a low wooden gate in the fence that starts the path to the door. Armand nudged the gate open and they headed up the path to the door. He hesitated. 

“We can turn back if you want to,” Ignis reminded gently. 

Armand nodded, but knocked on the door, then stood back. Ignis’ hand found the small of his back, a comforting pressure to let Armand know he was there for him. 

A few moments later, the door opened and the woman was standing in the house. She had blonde hair that was going white-grey at the edges, and electric blue eyes. Her face was aged, but the wrinkles were so obviously laugh lines. She smiled at them. 

“Can I help you?” She asked kindly. 

Armand swallowed, heart thumping in his chest, “A-are you Belinda Argentum?” 

“So, my reputation precedes me,” She chuckled, “That would be me.” 

“This might sound a little crazy but,” Armand paused, thinking it through, “You had two kids that were taken by the Federation of _Soldats_ , didn’t you?” 

Belinda’s smile faded fast, “Excuse me?” 

“In Niflheim? About twenty to twenty-two years ago?” Armand continued, wanting an answer. 

“Well, yes, I did,” Belinda replied begrudgingly, “How do you know this? What do you want?” 

Armand felt his hands shaking and clasped them in front of him, “My name is Armand Argentum.” 

She frowned, “My son—“ 

“Was Prompto, I know,” Armand interrupted, “He’s my older brother. I’m... transgender.” 

Belinda relaxed a little, leaning on the doorframe, “All this time I’ve been mourning a daughter... I wish I had known he grew up to be my son. Truly? You’re...?” 

Armand nodded, “I... wasn’t sure if you were still out here. I knew you’d left Niflheim after I was taken.” 

The greying woman breathed out heavily, “This is... I’m not too sure what to say. And is Prompto...?” 

“He’s fine,” Armand responded, “He isn’t here, but he’s okay. We,” Armand gestured between himself and Ignis, “Came alone. We weren’t sure if it’d be you.” 

“Why don’t you come on inside?” Belinda suggested, moving out of the doorway to let the two through. 

The house was cozy, with wooden floors and stairs leading upstairs. Belinda led them into the living, with two sofas, and an armchair opposite a fireplace. She gestured for them to sit on the sofa as she perched herself in the armchair. 

“W-where have you been, all this time?” Belinda asked, clearly not quite believing the man sitting on her sofa was her youngest child. 

“Gralea,” Armand answered simply, “Prompto and I were stationed at the palace. We were raised as Queen Lolia’s sons.” 

“At least you had a comfortable life,” Belinda murmured, “Why have they let you go? Why are you here?” 

“They didn’t exactly let us go,” Armand confessed, “You’ve heard about Ardyn’s death?”

“Of course, it was all over the news,” Belinda nodded. 

“We were there, in Insmomia,” Armand said, “We never went back.” 

“They don’t know?” 

“We’ve been reported as MIA, although most people think we died,” Armand rung his hands together on his lap. 

Belinda looked down at the wooden floor, then back up again to the blond on her sofa, “You... you have your father’s nose, you know.” 

Armand looked up, “I-I do?” 

She smiled as she did at the door, “You haven’t changed a lot since you were a baby. I’m sure I have pictures around here, somewhere.” 

Armand’s eyes went glassy with tears, and he swallowed harshly, “Really?” 

“I’ll put the kettle on,” Belinda decided, and took herself off to the kitchen. 

Armand sat, staring at the armchair she’d just left. Ignis carefully put a hand on his thigh. 

“Are you okay?” He murmured gently. 

Armand nodded shakily, resting his head on Ignis’ shoulder, “I found my mom.” 

Ignis tucked Armand into his side, wrapping an arm around him, “Yes. You did. It’s overwhelming.” 

Armand nodded again, sniffling, “I love you.” He whispered. 

“I love you too,” Ignis replied, just as quietly, “I’m so proud of you.” 

Belinda wandered back into the living room with three cups of tea on a tray. The couple split apart as she entered, Armand wiping his eyes on the back of his hand as she dished out the mugs. 

“You never introduced me to your friend,” She pointed out, settling back into her armchair. 

“Oh, this is Ignis Scientia,” Armand realised, “My, uh... My Soulmate.” 

“Soulmate?” Belinda raised a delicate eyebrow with a chuckle, “It’s nice to meet you. Although your name sounds familiar to me...?” 

“I work in the Citadel in Insomnia,” Ignis explained briefly, “Perhaps that is where you know me from?” 

“Perhaps,” Belinda nodded, though not entirely convinced, “How did you find me, may I ask?” 

“A hunter named Dave is a friend of mine,” Ignis said, “After that, it was pure luck.” 

Belinda hummed, and sipped her tea before she clicked her tongue, “I forgot to ask! Where are you boys staying?” 

Armand looked to his Soulmate briefly, “We’ve just been staying in motels and caravans. Sometimes we camp out, but it’s too much bother with the tent just for the two of us.” 

“Well that simply won’t do,” Belinda shook her head, “You’ll use my spare room tonight, I think. Motels and caravans,” She scoffed to herself, “No, no, you can stay here. Where are your bags and things?” 

“Out in the car, we parked just opposite your house,” Armand gestured halfheartedly to the window. 

“Go and bring everything inside,” She instructed, “I’ll go and dig the biscuit tin out. Make yourselves at home, the spare room is upstairs, second door to the right. Bathroom is right at the end, feel free to use the shower if you want it, now or later.” 

The couple agreed with smiles and thanks, before standing and heading back outside to the car. They left the gate to close over behind them, unlocked so they could kick it back open, and crossed the field to the car. 

When they got there, Armand gripped the top of the convertible door tightly, knuckles going white. Once he noticed, Ignis gently took Armand’s hands from the car and tugged him over to stand in front of him. 

Ignis ducked a little to look into glassy blue eyes, “You’re allowed to be overwhelmed.” 

“I shouldn’t be upset,” Armand mumbled wetly, “Why do I keep crying? _Seche_.” He sniffled, and let go of one of Ignis’ hands to wipe at his eyes, “I’m not sad, I’m just...” 

“You’ve met your mother for the first time in twenty years,” Ignis said calmly, rubbing his thumb comfortingly over Armand’s knuckles, “You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed with everything. I’d be confused if you weren’t.” 

“It’s happened so fast,” Armand whispered, “I thought I’d have more time.” 

Ignis simply drew Armand closer, wrapping his arms around his waist. He felt his Soulmate drop his head to his shoulder and breathe in shakily. Ignis kissed blond hair and squeezed him. 

“I’m with you every step of the way,” Ignis murmured, “I promise, I’m not going anywhere. If you want to go, we can. If you’d rather stay in a motel or somewhere...?” 

Armand shook his head, “No, it’s fine. I have to remember she’s never known her kids either. She’s probably feeling the same way.” 

“Absolutely,” Ignis agreed, then paused, “Are you alright?” 

Armand pulled away and nodded with a watery smile, then rubbed his eyes again, “This is stupid, I don’t even know why I’m crying!” 

Ignis smiled faintly, “It’s not stupid. It’s normal.” He turned back to the car to let Armand pull himself back together, opening the boot and grabbing two duffel bags before slamming it closed again. 

Armand breathed out slowly, steadying himself, then took a bag from Ignis with a smile. Ignis smiled back, letting their hands brush each other for a few seconds as he passed it over. He wrapped an arm around his Soulmate’s shoulders, pulling him against his side as they started over the field again. 

Ignis opened his mouth to start a new conversation to take Armand’s mind off things when he noticed the curtain or the living room window shift. The white fabric was definitely not that far over earlier, making him frown. 

Armand looked up at him, “What?” 

Ignis knocked the gate open with his foot, “I thought I saw... It’s nothing, don’t worry.” 

Armand narrowed his eyes a little, but headed up the garden path and back into the house. Ignis looked to the window, then followed his Soulmate inside. 

Armand headed straight up the rickety wooden stairs and up to a cramped landing. As instructed, he pushed open the second door on the right and wandered inside. 

The room was small, but cosy. There was a double bed in the middle of the wall with white bedsheets and pillows. There was a chest of drawers in the far corner and a single bedside table at the left side of the bed with a lamp on it. 

Armand walked inside and dropped his bag on the bed, before opening the curtains of the window just to the right of the bed as Ignis followed him inside. 

“I wonder how old this house is?” Armand muttered, more to himself then anyone else as he looked out the window. 

Ignis tossed his bag to the floor and walked up behind Armand, wrapping his arms around his waist, “It was probably fashioned from an old farmhouse or something.” 

Armand hummed, leaning back against his Soulmate, “Y’know I love you, right?” 

“Of course I do,” Ignis replied simply, leaning down to catch Armand’s lips in a kiss over his shoulder, “I love you.” 

“I should call Prompto,” Armand sighed, not making any move to leave Ignis’ arms, “He’ll want to know.” 

Ignis nodded, kissing Armand’s temple, “I’ll leave you to it. Let Noct know I’ll call him this evening, will you?” 

“Sure thing.” Armand felt the warmth at his back leave as Ignis pulled away with a final kiss and left the room, closing the door over behind him. Armand sighed, looking around the room once more before pulling his phone from his back pocket. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Uno!” 

Gladio and Noct groaned as Prompto grinned, cross legged on the floor with one card left. 

“This isn’t fair!” Noct whined, throwing down a yellow two, “He’s specially trained!” 

“In Niflheim Uno?” Gladio raised an eyebrow, and changed the colour with a green two. 

“We don’t have Uno in Niflheim,” Prompto shrugged, looking between the pile of cards in front of him and the one in his hand, “I’m just good at card games.” With a sly smile, he dropped his last card. 

Draw four. 

Noct howled in despair and dropped his hand while Gladio threw his head back and laughed loudly. 

The trio had decided to play a few games of Uno to take Noct’s mind off of the files sitting in that lonely office, half the Citadel away. They were on their second round, and Prompto had won both. 

Just in time to distract the blond soldier from the end of the game, his phone started buzzing loudly and consistently on the wooden floor next to him. He grabbed it and pushed himself to his feet, padding to the windowsill he’d sat on that morning to talk to his brother. With barely a glance to the caller ID, he picked up. 

“Miss me already?” Prompto said into the phone, noticing how Gladio and Noct looked over to him as they always did whenever he spoke Gralean. 

_“I wish you’d have come with us to meet her,”_ Armand’s voice replied calmly, _“She’s wonderful.”_

“You found her?” Prompto asked, lowering himself to sit on the windowsill, “So soon?” 

_“Yeah,”_ Armand answered, _“She made us tea and started to get to know us. She asked about you.”_

“She did?” Prompto’s chest felt tight, his throat suddenly dry, “What did she say?” 

_“She heard about Ardyn on the news. I told her we were there,”_ Armand took a breath, and Prompto could hear him moving, _“She was scared you’d died.”_

“What’s she like?” Prompto questioned, voice cracking a little. 

_“She’s lovely. She’s letting us stay in her spare room for a while,”_ Armand said, _“She’s blonde. We got her eyes, too.”_

“Is he there too?” 

_“Nein. She said I had his nose, but other than that she hasn’t mentioned him,”_ Armand paused for a moment, _“She’s an apothecary.”_

“She makes potions and stuff, you mean?” Prompto started jogging his knee for lack of anything else to do. He was vaguely aware of Gladio and Noct watching him from the floor. “Armour... I don’t know if I want to know her.” 

_“She wants to know us,”_ Armand snapped, a little shortly, _“She mourned us, Prompto. She came to terms with our deaths.”_

“I grew up with Lolia, I—“ 

_“So did I! But she wasn’t our mother! Belinda is,”_ Armand sniped, _“Her kids were taken from her! And now she knows they’re alive!”_

“You were taken from her,” Prompto corrected quietly, “I was routine.” 

Armand went silent for a moment, _“You don’t think that.”_

“I do,” Prompto said, “Everyone loses a child eventually. I was routine. You were snatched.” 

_“We were both snatched,”_ Armand muttered harshly, _“It’s not fair.”_

“It’s not,” Prompto agreed. 

There was sound from Armand’s end of the line, and Prompto could vaguely hear Ignis’ voice, then Armand said, _“I’ll be down in a minute.”_ In Lucian. 

_“Iggy said to tell Noct he’ll call him tonight,”_ Armand informed, slightly coldly, _“Prompto. You’re my brother, and I love you. But look at this from her point of view, too. She wants to know her sons.”_

And without room for argument, Armand hung up. 

Slowly, Prompto pulled his phone from his ear, frowning at the technology. 

“Prom?” Noct asked, still seated on the floor. 

“Ignis said he’d call you tonight,” Prompto sounded happy, but he was stuck staring hard at the black screen of his phone. 

“I really can’t tell if it’s a bad conversation or not in Gralean,” Gladio commented casually, then Noct hit his arm. 

“What happened, Prompto?” Noct questioned. 

Prompto blinked, then sighed, chest feeling heavy, “I just... I need a minute.” 

The blond didn’t wait for a reply, instead standing up and walking out of Noct’s Citadel room. 

Gladiolus found him eventually, out on a balcony somewhere with a roll of _ruhet_ between his teeth. Prompto didn’t turn around when he heard the balcony door slide open and the crown shield walk outside to stand next to him. He was aware of a second person, Noct, stood behind them in the doorway. 

“You alright, sunshine?” Gladio asked, leaning with his forearms over the railing. 

Prompto raised an eyebrow, “‘Sunshine’? I haven’t heard that one before.” 

“Really?” Gladio said, sounding surprised, “Would’ve thought that was a common one.” 

“Nah,” Prompto giggled a little, huffing out smoke into the sky, “That’s a new one.” 

Gladio laughed, then hesitated a little, “Is everything okay? With you and Armand?” 

“He found our mom,” Prompto shrugged, smile fading fast, “He thinks she’s great.” 

“Is that not good?” Gladio questioned slowly. 

Prompto sighed and shrugged, “I dunno.” 

Gladiolus narrowed his eyes at the blond, watching him chew the end of his joint. Then something clicked, and he gave Prompto a look. 

“You’re keeping something from your brother again, aren’t you?” He deadpanned. 

Prompto breathed out through his nose, wisps of smoke vanishing into the air. He nodded. 

Noct finally moved from the doorway, appearing at Prompto’s other side, “Now, I may be an only child, but something tells me that keeping secrets from your siblings isn’t a good idea.” 

“I am not an only child, and I can tell you that Noct is absolutely correct,” Gladiolus reinforced. 

Prompto hung his head between his shoulders, “I know! I can’t help it! I’m just trying to protect him, really! I told myself I’d tell him when he was old enough, but I just kept putting it off.” 

“Prom,” Noct started, “Armand is only two years younger than you.” 

“I know!” Prompto repeated, “I just... I dunno.” 

“Why don’t you start with telling us what you’re keeping from him?” Gladio suggested. 

“Okay,” Prompto inclined his head, “So, you know how we’re taken as children to be trained, right? Well, usually, parents leave their children with an object or something. A letter, or a hat, or a sock. Some jewellery. But ours didn’t.” 

“I thought you said that the parents don’t know if their kid would be taken?” Noct asked. 

“They don’t,” Prompto said, “But every parent leaves something, just in case. We didn’t get anything.” 

“And that means your mother is completely evil...?” Gladio raised an eyebrow, not really following. 

“No, you don’t understand,” Prompto shook his head, “Everyone leaves something. Everyone! It’s not normal to just leave your child without anything. It’s almost like giving up a fight. It’s looked down on, disgraced. It’s like abandoning a baby.” 

“It’s really that bad?” Noct murmured. 

“It’s really that bad,” Prompto confirmed, dropping the burnt out _ruhet_ and crushing it under his foot. 

The three stood on the balcony together in silence, and Noct reached across the railing for Prompto’s hand. 

“I’m sorry,” He muttered, squeezing the blond’s fingers, “I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up in a place like that.” 

Gladio moved next, standing behind Prompto and wrapping his arms around the smaller’s waist, “You got out.” 

“I got out,” Prompto repeated, more to himself, “ _Seche_ , this isn’t fair.” 

“I wish Iggy was here,” Noct said, tucking himself against Prompto’s side, “He always knows what to say. And if he doesn’t, he cooks great food.” 

“I’m a shit cook,” Gladiolus admitted, “But I can order takeout. What’s your poison, sunshine?” 

“Surprise me,” Prompto replied, a faint smile settling on his face, “Thanks, guys.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Armand headed down the stair case once he’d hung up the phone, hearing voices coming from the kitchen. He walked though the living room, and under the wide archway that led to the kitchen. 

It looked spacey, with a wooden table on white tiled flooring and counters lining the walls, mixed with other basic kitchen utensils. Ignis was sat at the table with a mug of tea in his hands, talking casually to Belinda who was stood leaning with her back against one of her counters. True to her word, there was a biscuit tin on the table. 

“Is everything alright?” Ignis asked as Armand walked inside. 

The blond forced a smile and a nod, pulling out a chair and sitting down, “Did I miss much?” 

“Your Soulmate was just catching me up on some things I’d missed,” Belinda waved a hand flippantly, “Don’t worry, dear.” 

“What have you been telling her?” Armand rolled his eyes fondly, “Only good things I hope.”

“Of course,” Ignis answered, not convinced that Armand wasn’t keeping something to himself, “There are only good things.” 

“You flatter me,” Armand mumbled, ducking his head down and pushing his bangs behind his ear. 

“Was that Prompto?” Belinda asked, hands clasped in front of her stomach tightly, “Sorry, I just... I heard you mention his name, and I wondered...” 

“Yeah, that was Prompto,” Armand nodded, “I was updating him.” 

“How’s he doing?” She said idly, turning to busy herself with the kettle behind her. 

“Yeah, he’s fine. Great,” Armand forced out, unable to stop the hardness from his words, “He’s got enough on his plate as it is, I’m wagering.” 

“Oh?” Belinda hummed, “How so?” 

“His Soulmates work at the Citadel, too,” Armand replied, playing with the hem of his shirt, “They need to sort out a bunch of things for the coronation.” 

“Soulmates, plural?” Belinda turned back to the table and placed a cup of fruity smelling tea in front of Armand. 

“Yeah, that’s a funny story,” Armand commented, slightly bitterly, “It’s actually how Ignis and I finally met. Prompto’s Soulmates are Prince Noctis and his shield, Gladiolus.” 

Belinda’s blue eyes widened, “Really? That is interesting... And that’s how you and Ignis met?” 

“Queen Lolia wanted Noct and Prompto to get married, so she took us to Insomnia last year to arrange a wedding,” Armand explained, “Iggy is Noct’s Royal Advisor. We didn’t know anything about each other apart from names, really.” 

“It certainly was an eventful week,” Ignis added, reaching across the table for Armand’s hand, “One that I hope never repeats itself.” 

“You were here, last year?” Belinda slipped into an empty chair at the table, “And I had no idea. Wait. Wasn’t that... wasn’t that when the MTs attacked the Citadel?” 

Armand nodded awkwardly, “Yup, that was the week. It wasn’t fun, either. I was stabbed.” 

“You were stabbed?!” Belinda threw a hand to her heart, “Heavenly Six!” 

“I’m a soldier,” Armand shrugged, “It’s... expected.” 

“Of course, y-you were trained for those sort of situations,” Belinda breathed, “I’m sorry. I fear I will never get used to that.” 

Armand wasn’t sure how to reply, but Ignis squeezed his hand gently and smiled faintly towards him. Easily, the Advisor changed the subject away from family and Armand’s past in Niflheim. They talked way into the evening, eating their way through the entire tin of biscuits instead of cooking anything substantial. At some point, Ignis slipped away to call Noct and make sure everything was okay at the Citadel, but came back not ten minutes later with no news. 

Eventually, Armand and Ignis went to bid Belinda goodnight and head upstairs when Armand winced as he stood. Immediately, Belinda asked what was wrong. 

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Armand dismissed, “I landed on my ankle funny a few weeks back and it hasn’t healed properly yet.” 

Belinda took herself off to a cupboard and pulled out a vial of a greenish liquid. She handed it to Armand, “Here, drink this. Your ankle will be healed in the morning.” 

“Thanks,” Armand smiled, and turned to follow Ignis. 

The pair headed to the spare room she’d lent to them. Armand pulled the curtains closed on the vast garden and kicked his shoes off. He heard Ignis close the door behind himself and switch the lamp on, the golden light bathing half the room in its glow. 

“You argued with your brother, didn’t you?” Ignis asked, watching as Armand sighed, shoulders drooping. 

“I hung up before we started arguing,” Armand replied, tying his hair up and going for his bag on the bed and unzipping it, “It’s not my fault he’s being a _schwanz_. I don’t know what’s up with him.” 

“Things have been rather tense between you two, lately,” Ignis pointed out, pulling his t-shirt over his head and laying it on the bed next to his own bag. 

“We butt heads pretty easily,” Armand explained, switching his shirt out for a hoodie that covered his arms completely, “But we don’t usually argue like this.” 

Ignis took his glasses off and changed out of his trousers into a pair of sweatpants as Armand took off his shorts and bundled himself in the bed, still wearing his boxers. Ignis joined him shortly after, letting the blond settle against him with his head on his chest. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ignis asked, feeling Armand nuzzle closer. 

“Not especially,” Armand mumbled back, “It’s whatever. It’s done. What about you?” 

“What about me?” Ignis responded. 

“Your call to Noctis didn’t last very long,” Armand stated, “Was everything okay?” 

“You said you didn’t want to talk about Prompto,” Ignis replied shortly.

Armand went quiet for a moment, then rolled out of Ignis’ arms so he had his back to his Soulmate. Ignis turned to his side, pressing himself against Armand’s back with his arm around the blond’s waist in a silent attempt at an apology. 

“Sorry I’m being a bitch to deal with lately,” Armand muttered. 

“You are not,” Ignis retorted, “You are going through a lot right now.” He lowered his voice, “You spoke to me once about mental health problems. And I’ve seen these,” He trailed his fingers down Armand’s arm, stopping at his wrist where he’d seen the scars littering his arms in straight lines about a month before, “We never really revisited that.” 

“I just feel so anxious, all the time,” Armand rolled back over in Ignis’ arms, pressing his face into his Soulmate’s neck, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I keep feeling like I’m going to drown, and I keep crying all the damn time.” 

“Maybe we could ask your mother about it in the morning,” Ignis suggested, “It could be hereditary. And maybe she has something for it.” 

“In th’ mor’ing,” Armand mumbled, eyes drooping, “No regrets?” 

“None at all,” Ignis whispered, kissing Armand’s forehead gently, “I love you, Armour.” 

Ignis was the first one awake the next morning, as usual, and unwrapped himself from Armand and sat at the edge of the bed, grabbing his glasses from the bedside table and slipping them up his nose. He could hear noises coming from downstairs and vaguely wondered if Belinda had gone to bed at all last night. 

He grabbed a t-shirt from his bag and pulled it on, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to make it look less messy, then slipped out of the room and down the stairs. 

Belinda was in the kitchen again, humming to herself and cracking some eggs into a pan. 

“Good morning, Mrs Argentum,” Ignis greeted, making sure he was heard so she didn’t jump. 

She turned with a smile, “Please, it’s just Belinda. How did you sleep?” 

“Well, thank you,” Ignis nodded, sitting in a chair at table table, “A lot more comfortable than a motel.” 

“I’m glad,” Belinda remarked, “Would you like any tea, or coffee?” 

“Coffee would lovely, thank you,” Ignis accepted. 

Belinda nodded and started fussing with the kettle. A few minutes later, she set a steamy coffee mug down in front of the Advisor with a reserved smile. 

“Thank you,” Ignis said again, wrapping his fingers around the hot china, “Would you mind if I asked you a question, by any chance?” 

“Not at all,” Belinda waved a hand, leaning on the kitchen counter after checking on the eggs, “Ask away.” 

“You wouldn’t happen to have an anxiety disorder of any kind? Or any medication to help with it?” Ignis asked, a little straightforward, “Armand and I were talking and, well, he has anxiety. He’s never had any sort of medication for it, but I was wondering if that would be the sort of thing that could help.” 

Belinda furrowed her brow in thought, “I don’t suffer from it, no. But... well, their father did. Does Prompto as well?” 

“Not as far as I know, though I may be wrong,” Ignis replied, bringing his coffee to his lips. 

“I’ll have a look around,” Belinda reassured, “I’m sure I have a recipe around here somewhere for nerves, or something similar. I may be able to adapt it.” 

“Thank you,” Ignis smiled. Belinda returned it, and turned back to her eggs, just as noises of movement came from upstairs. “That will be Armand,” Ignis commented, “He’ll probably take a shower.” 

Belinda hummed, “That’s fine. Would you like some scrambled eggs, Ignis? I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I went basic, I hope that’s okay.” 

Ignis wasn’t especially hungry, but figured if Belinda had cooked he should eat at least some of it, “Yes, please, thank you.” 

She smiled, and a moment later sat down with two plates of eggs; one for herself and one for Ignis. They ate together in pretty much silence, but it wasn’t awkward. Ignis finished first, and stood with his plate to put it by the sink. 

“Don’t worry about washing up, dear, I’ll do it in a bit,” Belinda said, finishing off her own plate, “Maybe you could go and see if Armand wants any, and I’ll save him some?” 

“Of course,” Ignis agreed, and left the petit kitchen as Belinda stood to sort out the dirty plates. 

He crossed through the living room and up the narrow staircase once more, noticing the open bathroom door but the closed over one to the guest bedroom. Ignis heard movement from behind the door to their borrowed bedroom, and gently pushed the door open slightly. 

Armand was stood with his back to the door, halfway through pulling a t-shirt over his head. 

Ignis was always stilled whenever he saw Armand shirtless. The young soldier had been through so much in his rather short life, and all of it was reflected on his person. Scars — purple, silver, pink — littered all over his body. Some scattered randomly, and some in straight organised lines. There were two thin, almost faded scars across the front of his chest from his top surgery earlier the year before. 

But then, as Ignis stood silently in the doorway, something else caught his eye. 

A chain was hung around Armand’s neck, shiny and familiar. And Ignis’ heart skipped a beat. 

Both Prompto and Armand had worn lockets for as long as Ignis could remember — they’d always worn them. Originally, Ignis and the others had assumed that they had contained a picture of their parents, or of other family members. However, after the battle with Ardyn, the brothers had explained that the lockets contained suicide pills given to them by the Federation, in case they were ever captured and had to kill themselves to avoid leaking government secrets. 

Armand pulled his t-shirt on properly, and arranged the chain under the fabric so it couldn’t be seen. 

Pulling himself together, Ignis pushed the door open fully and stepped inside the room, being sure to make some noise. 

Armand turned, and smiled, “Hey. Good morning.” 

“Good morning,” Ignis returned, wondering why Armand was acting so happy — so normal — with a cyanide pill above his heart, “Did you sleep okay?” 

“Like a rock,” Armand answered, grabbing a blue checked shirt that he’d previously laid out on the bed and pulling it on, “Everything good?” 

Ignis hummed positively, wondering if his Soulmate was going to bring it up, “Your mum made breakfast, she’s saved you some.” 

“Ah, I best go and eat then, shouldn’t I?” Armand leaned in and kissed Ignis on the cheek gently, “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem a bit distracted?” 

“Of course,” Ignis replied, “Go and find your mum. I’m going to shower.” 

“Alright,” Armand murmured, brow furrowed as if he didn’t quite believe the advisor, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Armand brightened up a bit at the reply, and slipped past Ignis and out of the door. Ignis sighed, and set about getting ready. He heard Armand talking happily with Belinda downstairs, and wondered if he heard everything they had talked about. Then he turned the shower on and drowned out their conversation. 

He headed back to the bedroom when he was done, changing into trousers and a loose fitting grey tee. Leaving his hair a little damp, he left his bag with his clothes and things next to Armand’s on the floor, slipping his phone into his back pocket and heading down the stairs again. 

“It’s so nice having you around,” He heard Belinda say as he reached the bottom, “I wish Prompto could have come too, but I understand how busy he is. It so good to see you.” 

“I’m so glad I finally found you,” Armand responded, “We’ve got a lot to catch up on.” 

Belinda chuckled, “Twenty years. My, my...” 

Ignis was about to go and join them, when he heard something buzzing incessantly from the set of wooden drawers near the door. It’s a phone, he realised when he came closer, not his or Armand’s. Must have been Belinda’s. 

He leaned closer, intent on getting the name of the person texting to let the greying woman know who was trying to contact her, but frowned. The messages coming through were all in Gralean. And Ignis couldn’t read a word of it. 

Until three letters caught Ignis’ eye behind the foreign contact name; 

_‘FoS’_

Frowning deeper, Ignis recalled the last time he’d seen those letters. When he’d visited Gralea earlier that year, and caught Prompto and Armand training with their _ashiterr_ , Aranea. The letters stood for the ‘Federation of _Soldats’_ , a large group of accepted vigilantes who kidnapped children and trained them to become soldiers across Niflheim. Prompto and Armand had both been taken as babies. 

“Armand, can I borrow you for a moment?” Ignis called, not looking away from the phone which had since stopped buzzing. 

“Sorry, Armand, dear, do you mind giving me a hand with the dishes?” Belinda asked not a second after. 

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Armand agreed, “Give me a minute, Ignis!” 

Ignis bit the inside of his cheek. It’s not like he didn’t trust Belinda, but it was suspicious if she was in contact with the very people who kidnapped her two sons. 

He turned away from the phone, about to head towards the kitchen when there was one rather loud thump at the door. He stiffened, looking over his shoulder. That wasn’t a knock. That was a hit. 

“Iggy, are you okay?” Armand exclaimed from the kitchen, sounding concerned. 

“That wasn’t me,” Ignis replied, as another thump sided from the other side of the door. 

“What?” A moment later, Armand was walking into the hallway, wiping his hands on his shirt with a frown on his face, “It sounded like someone was trying to break the door down.” 

“I’m sorry, Armand,” Belinda appeared in the doorway, wringing her hands together, “I really do wish we’d have had more time together.” 

“What are you talking about?” Armand blinked. 

There was another thump, and the door rattled on its hinges. 

Ignis grabbed the phone, “Who have you contacted?” 

“What?” Armand looked between his mother and his Soulmate, “She contacted someone?”

“They told me to,” Belinda insisted, starting to sound hysterical, “They said you were dangerous and that you were trying to find me! They said to contact them if I saw you, because I’d be in danger!” 

“Who’s ‘they’?” Armand demanded, repeating his question when Belinda didn’t reply, “Mom, who’s ‘they’?!” 

“We have to go,” Ignis decided, reaching for Armand’s hand. 

The door was hit again, this time swinging open and hitting the wall behind it. Armand seemed to be frozen, staring in shock at the older woman opposite him. 

Ignis tucked the phone into his other pocket, then pulled a dagger from the Armiger. He threw it towards the people in the doorway, and it landing harshly in the chest of the one at the front. It sparked. 

“MTs,” Ignis commented, grabbing Armand’s arm, “We have to go, _now_.” 

Armand nodded faintly, and allowed himself to be pulled from the house, out the back door, as Magiteks swarmed the house. Gunshots rung off behind them, things smashing and breaking as Belinda yelped and sobbed. 

The pair sprinted around the chaos of the house and out to the front, across the road and towards the Regalia, which had thankfully been left alone. MTs may be very powerful machines, but they weren’t the brightest. 

Armand vaulted himself over the door and into the passenger seat, Ignis landing in the driver’s seat not a moment later. 

The rest was a bit of a blur; the car started and they sped off down the empty road as machines ran out after them, shooting at them in vain. 

Armand pushed his hair back from his face as it was being blown by the harsh wind and wiped at his eyes. 

Ignis glanced over at the blond as he let out a colourful string of Gralean curses. Reaching into his pocket, Ignis pulled out Belinda’s phone and tossed it to Armand who fumbled to catch it. 

“That’s her phone,” Ignis stated, “I couldn’t read it, they were talking in Gralean.” 

Armand nodded, and switched the phone on. He swiped through text messages, briefly reading through conversations. He froze, and made a startled noise in the back of his throat before he held a hand out. 

“Give me your phone, I left mine behind,” He ordered desperately. 

Awkwardly, Ignis pulled his phone out of his back pocket and threw it at his Soulmate without crashing the car, “What do they say?” 

“She gave them Prompto’s location as well,” Is all Armand said, unlocking Ignis’ phone and dialling his brother’s number. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The paper aeroplane flew through the air, and landed in the waste paper basket by the door. 

“Paperwork may be boring, but this makes it more fun, right?” Gladiolus chirped from his seat behind the desk. 

Noctis grumbled from the floor, “We’ve been at this for hours.” 

“I’m agreeing with Noct here,” Prompto added, swinging his legs so they hit the base of the wooden desk, “We’ve been doing this for ages. And it’s still early.” 

“We’ve worked through the night, Gladio,” Noct groaned, “Can we take a break?” 

“It needs to be done!” Gladio shrugged. 

Noct opened his mouth to retort, but Prompto’s ringing phone interrupted his train of thought, “Dude, you’re so popular.” 

Prompto snorted, and grabbed his phone from the desk, barely even reading the caller ID, “Ignis, hey.” 

_“Get out of the Citadel, now.”_

Prompto blinked, “Armour? What’s happening?” 

_“Just get out! There are MTs coming for you, the Federation know where you are.”_

“What?” Prompto switched to Gralean when his brother didn’t change to Lucian, “What are talking about?” 

_“She sold us out, Prom, you were right,”_ Armand sounded choked up, _“I should have believed you, leimed, leimed, just get out.”_

“Okay, where are you?” 

_“Now, Prompto! Out!”_

“Leaving!” Prompto answered quickly, hanging up the phone. 

“What was that about?” Noct asked idly, halfway to folding a new paper aeroplane. 

“We need to leave,” Prompto stated firmly, “Prompto said our mom sold us out to the Feds. MTs are coming here, apparently.” 

“Are you sure?” Gladio questioned lowly. 

Prompto turned his phone over in his hand, “He sounded panicked. And I trust my brother.” 

“Car, now,” Gladio ordered, pushing himself to his feet, “You too, Noct, let’s go. I’m putting the Citadel on high alert, and I’m calling Cor.”

“Cor?” Prompto cocked his head to one side, “Like, Cor the Immortal?” 

“Yes, Cor the Immortal,” Gladio rolled his eyes, already fiddling about with his phone, “Now get to the garage, c’mon!” 

They’d barely driven out of the city when Niflheim Magitek engines were spotted flying overhead. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Noctis texted, he said they’re out of the city,” Ignis informed, coming up beside Armand. 

They’d pulled over after driving for about an hour and a half in awkward silence. They were standing on a hill, just nearby to a haven in case of emergencies. Armand hadn’t said a word after he’d put the phone down on Prompto, instead dissolving into tears in the passenger seat while Ignis couldn’t do anything to help. 

The blond nodded in response to Ignis’ question, wrapping his arms around himself. 

“Are you okay?” Ignis asked softly. 

Armand sighed shakily, and shrugged, “I don’t know. Just coming to terms with the fact that I am a naïve stupid idiot who can’t take a hint.” 

“That’s not true,” Ignis protested weakly. 

“Isn’t it?” Armand turned to look at his Soulmate, blue eyes glazed with tears, “I wish for my parents my whole life, finally find her, I ignore all the signs and trust her anyway and she sells me out.” 

“There were no signs.” 

“There’s always signs! And I should have found them!” 

Silence claimed them quickly, and Armand turned away again. 

“Armour,” Ignis took a breath, “What matters right now is that we have a plan. We need to figur—“ 

“To hell with a plan right now!” Armand snapped harshly, “It’s bullshit, it doesn’t matter!” 

“Just because one thing didn’t go our way—!” 

“One thing?! You think only one thing went wrong today?!” 

“I think we can still turn this around!” 

“Well, I think we should quit while we’re ahead, it’s over, there’s nothing we can do!” 

“Just because you seem to have a given up on life—!” 

“I don’t give up!” 

“Is that so? Then what about the locket you’ve started wearing again? Or were you just not going to tell me you have a cyanide pill above your heart?!” 

Armand gaped, then laughed humourlessly, “Oh, this is great. It isn’t even mine!” 

Ignis frowned, “What do you mean?” 

“I mean; it’s. Not. Mine,” Armand gritted out, angrily snatching the locket from around his neck and throwing it at his Soulmate, “Mine was gold, remember?!” 

Without waiting for an answer, he turned away and stormed back towards the Regalia, leaving Ignis stood on the hill with the locket tucked in his hand. 

The advisor looked down at the chain, turning the locket over in his hand. True to what Armand had said, the locket wasn’t gold. It was bronze, and the patten etched into the locket was slightly different, looking similar to the stems of roses rather than just lines like Armand’s was. 

Ignis unclipped the clasp and opened the locket, looking inside. It was empty. 

With a sigh, he snapped it shut again, mentally kicking himself for making assumptions. He looked back over his shoulder towards the car, watching Armand sat in the passenger seat for a moment. The blond was reading something on Belinda’s phone, frowning at the screen. 

Ignis set off down the hill towards the Regalia. He opened the driver’s side door and slipped into the seat. Armand didn’t look up. 

“It’s Aranea’s, is it not?” Ignis guessed, looping the chain around his fingers. 

Armand lowered the phone to his lap, eyes fluttered closed, “I just miss her so much.” 

“I’m sorry,” Ignis apologised, “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“It’s fine,” Armand muttered, “Can... can I have it back?” 

“Of course, sorry,” Ignis handed the locket over, and Armand quickly clipped it around his neck once more, “... You two were closer then you let on, weren’t you?” 

“She was like family to me,” Armand admitted, “Not like a mother, no, more like... like an aunt, or something. I don’t know, she was my only friend, other than Prompto. Oh. You said they got out?” 

“They’re safe,” Ignis replied, “We’ll meet up with them shortly.” 

“Okay,” Armand agreed, taking a breath, “I’m sorry, Ignis. I shouldn’t have snapped.”

“It’s okay. We both said things we didn’t mean.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Did you find anything?” Ignis asked eventually, nodding at Belinda’s phone. 

Armand tapped the phone screen, and it lit up again, “She’s been in contact with the Feds since we disappeared from Niflheim. They basically told her we were armed, dangerous, and potentially looking for her. And that if she saw us, she was to report us immediately so they could send MTs to neutralise us.” 

“Meaning...?” 

“Kill us. And whoever was with us.” 

Ignis sighed, “Six... Who’s in charge of the Federation?” 

“I don’t know,” Armand shrugged, “They always told me I was too young to know. So I never found out.” 

Humming in acknowledgement, Ignis flipped the car engine on and started to pull out of the parking space, “We’re not too far away from Hammerhead, thankfully. That’s where the others are headed.” 

Armand just nodded, switching off the phone and putting it in the glove box. He drew his feet up on the seat, knowing he’d normally get told to put his feet down, but Ignis didn’t say a word. Instead, Armand rested his chin on his knees and curled his arms around his shins. If they weren’t in a moving car, Ignis could guess the blond would have been rocking himself backwards and forwards, and felt his heart break a little for his Soulmate. 

“I’m sorry I lied about how well I knew Aranea,” Armand mumbled into his thighs, “I thought that maybe... maybe if I kept it to myself, she wouldn’t get hurt. I realise that’s stupid now. It couldn’t have done anything and I only ended up hurting myself.” 

Ignis remembered when Armand first talked to him about Aranea, when the others had visited Gralea for the first time. 

_“It’s not like she’s my friend. She’s my_ ashiterr _, my trainer... She knows everything about me. She has my file... I haven’t even read my file.”_

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Ignis replied smoothly. 

“I do, though,” Armand disagreed, “That’s my regret. I regret losing her. I’m sorry I never told you. We promised no secrets.” 

“I know,” Ignis nodded, “But I’m not mad. So please don’t worry. It’s fine.” 

Armand sighed through his nose heavily and doesn’t reply, closing his eyes instead. Ignis took that as a sign to stop talking, so he briefly reached out to squeeze one of Armand’s hands before pulling away again. They sat in silence for the rest of the journey, which thankfully wasn’t too long, and within twenty minutes they were pulling into Hammerhead. 

“They’re already here,” Ignis murmured, noticing the heavy black four-by-four with the Insomnian license plate. 

Armand had his door open before the car had even stopped moving, hopping out onto the pavement and slamming the door shut behind him. 

“Prompto!” He yelled, and almost immediately the older blond was running out of Takka’s Pit Stop. 

“Armand!” Prompto called back, and the two ran into each other’s arms with such force that Ignis was surprised neither of them fell over. 

Noctis and Gladiolus filed out of the restaurant next at a much slower pace, and Noct’s face split into a grin at the sight of his friend’s. 

“Specs!” He waved, “You guys good?” 

Ignis headed over to join the others, Prompto and Armand still hugging each other in the middle of the tarmac, “We’re fine. A little shaken up, if anything.” 

“Good,” Gladio nodded firmly, clapping Ignis on the shoulder when he got close enough, “I’m glad. Scared the shit out of us.” 

“Apologies,” Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose idly, “We were rather rushed.” 

“No shit,” Noct snorted, “We were worried. Prompto thought maybe you’d been stopped by MTs on the way back.” 

“We were lucky enough to pass them all by, though they were undoubtedly looking for us.” 

“You guys didn’t get hurt, did you?” Armand asked, still half wrapped around his brother but pulled back enough to look at the others. 

Gladiolus shook his head, “No. We’re fine, all safe thanks to you. If you hadn’t have phoned, we would have been in the middle of all that.” 

“Speaking of,” Noct ran a hand through unruly dark hair, sighing deeply, “We need to get back. I can’t just leave Insomnia like that.” 

“So we go back,” Prompto suggested, Armand nodding beside him, “And we fight them off!” 

Ignis straightened himself up self-consciously, “I think it might be best if you two and Noct stay here.” 

“What?!” 

“Excuse me?!” 

“You’ve got to be kidding!” 

“The MTs are here because of Armand and Prompto, and while that isn’t their fault, they’ll be in a lot of danger if they go back,” Ignis explained calmly, “Noctis, you’ve put off the coronation for reasons I can’t bypass, meaning you are still the Crown Prince. We need you alive so you can be crowned King. And until then, your safety is mine and Gladiolus’ number one priority.” 

Noct seethed, folding his arms across his chest, “Gladio is my Shield, I can’t be away from him. Which means you’ll be going back by yourself which will do more harm than good, and you know it. Besides, what I say goes. And I order you not to leave me behind.”

“Pulling rank, now, Princess?” Gladio raised an eyebrow, “Listen, Iggy’s got a point, it would be safer for you to stay here.” 

“It would be safer for _all_ of us to stay here!” Noct huffed, “But you two are just gonna leave me behind, alone, outside of the Kingdom with two Niflheim assassins. I think I might be safer facing the MTs.” 

Prompto blinked, “We’re not assassins. We’re soldiers.” 

“Whatever,” Noct rolled his eyes, “My point is, you’re putting me in more danger leaving me behind.” 

Gladio shrugged towards Ignis, who in turn sighed heavily. 

“Fine,” He caved, “Noctis can come. But I am absolutely not letting you two come.” 

The brothers pulled away from each other finally, giving indignant shouts. 

“That is such _bull_ —!” 

“You know full well what we’re capable of—!” 

“I know you’re capable,” Ignis agreed instantly, “But you’ve got the entire Niflheim army looking for your heads. I refuse to put you in that sort of danger. I can’t do that.” 

Prompto flushed and backed down, moving away to join Noct, but Armand stood his ground and glared ferociously for a moment as he tried to pick his next words. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, before deflating. 

“Fine,” Armand surrendered, knowing Ignis wasn’t going to let up on either of them as long as they couldn’t legally one up him like Noct could, “We’ll stay.” 

“Thank you,” Ignis smiled softly, “I promise we’ll keep in touch.” 

“You better,” Armand grumbled, not meeting Ignis’ eyes, “I can’t believe you’re making me sit this one out.” 

“I’m sorry,” Ignis replied, taking the step closer into Armand’s personal space, “I don’t know what I’d do if you get hurt.” 

Armand breathed out slowly, and met Ignis halfway in a tight embrace, “I know you’re just worried about me, but... It’s my fault they’re here in the first place. I should be helping to stop them.” 

“You do not need to be in the middle of everything,” Ignis stated firmly, “You are not the saviour of all of bloody Lucis.” 

“But it’s my fault, I should be the one fixing it—!”

“It’s not your fault,” Ignis interrupted, “It’s not. None of this is your fault.” 

The unspoken _‘It’s your mother’s’_ hangs in the air between them. 

Armand sighed for what seemed the millionth time that day, “You promise me you’ll be safe. You promise you’ll be okay.” 

Ignis pressed a kiss to Armand’s forehead, lips ghosting there as he replied, “I promise.” 

Armand nodded once before pulling back, “You better. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

“Yo, Specs, c’mon!” Noct called across the car park, “We gotta head back!” 

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Ignis assured, leaning down to catch Armand in a sweet kiss, “Don’t worry.” 

“I’m always gonna worry,” Armand breathed, but let the taller man go. 

He looked to his left just in time to see Prompto in a crushing hug with Gladio, who kissed him on the top of his head before pulling away, leaving the blond red in the face. 

Armand crossed the car park to meet his brother once more, bumping their shoulders casually. 

“Stay safe!” Prompto demanded as the others approached the Lucian four-by-four, “I don’t wanna hear of any injuries!” 

Noctis chuckled as he beat Ignis to the driver’s door, “We’ll be fine! See you soon!” 

The three of them climbed into the car, Gladio in shotgun and Ignis in the back, and the brothers watched as they pulled out of Hammerhead and onto the road before they disappeared out of sight. 

Armand hesitated to look away, “I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I am starving. Buy me food?” 

Prompto grinned, reaching to ruffle his little brother’s hair, “Sure thing. C’mon.” 

“You’ve also got to tell me how things with Noct and Gladio are going.” 

“You little shit!”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Armand looked up for the umpteenth time as the Regalia slowly drove across the car park. 

“Alrigh’, I think you’re gettin’ it!” Cindy’s voice floated from inside the car, “Now, carefully slow down until you’ve stopped.” 

The breaks squeaked harshly as the car stopped suddenly, leaving tire marks on the pavement. 

“Oops, sorry,” Prompto apologised from the driver’s seat. 

“That’s all good. Try again.” 

The others had left almost two hours ago, and Armand was getting sick of not hearing anything. He ran the pad of his thumb over the seven words written across his wrist; 

_‘I love you’_

**‘I love you too’**

Logically, he knew it would take more than two hours to get Insomnia back in control but selfishly, he wished they’d finished an hour and a half ago. 

His breath caught in his throat at the burning feeling on his fingers, and he dropped the mostly burnt joint of _ruhet_ to the ground, watching it burn orange before it went out completely. He stuck his fingers in his mouth reflexively, trying to relive the pain. 

He watched the car make a full loop of the gas station before slowing to a stop in front of him. 

Prompto cheered from the front seat, “Yes! I think I getting this!” 

“You’re a quick learner, tha’s for sure,” Cindy agreed, a small smile on her face, “Armand, you want to try?” 

“I’ll pass,” Armand held up a hand, “I’ll leave the driving to Prom.” 

“Alrighty, then,” Cindy shrugged, “You wanna take ‘er over to the road, Prompto? I’ll show you gear changes.” 

“O-okay, sure,” Prompto nodded, gripping the steering wheel tightly and pulling the car towards the exit. 

Armand sighed and pushed himself to his feet, wiping his hands on his shorts and making his way into the garage across the station. 

“Hey, Cid?” He called, looking around the elevated car for the old man, “You in here?” 

“Whaddaya want?” Cid grumbled, sliding out slightly from under the car. 

“Only to see if I could help with anything,” Armand shrugged, “Cindy is teaching Prompto how to drive, and I’m not very good at sitting and doing nothing.” 

“Well, you can start by handing me that spanner.” 

Armand reached over and grabbed the tool, handing it down to the older man who slid back under the car. 

“Can I ask you a question?” The blond requested, tucking his hands in his pockets and leaning back against a work bench. 

“If you must,” Cid grunted back. 

“The Niffs,” Armand began, thinking his words over as he said them, “How far did they come out?” 

“Whaddaya mean?” 

“Last year, the Niffs attacked Insomnia. I was wondering how far they got?” 

“Well, not far enough to effect us out here. I heard they gave Insomnia a run for their money though. Wrench, please.” Cid paused and waited for Armand to hand him the next tool, “Why?” 

Armand averted his eyes, “Well, I mean... They’re dangerous. Violent, even. They probably killed loads of—“ 

“Stop,” Cid interrupted, “Listen, kid, you don’t have to talk crap about your own people. It’s obvious; the hair, the way you talk.” 

Armand flushed and ducked his head, “I was just... we’re not very liked.” 

“No,” Cid agreed, “You’re not.” 

“I’m worried people out here still hate us,” Armand admitted, “And I’m sure they do. There are Niffs storming Insomnia at the moment, looking for me and my brother. I know they hate us there but I thought... maybe it wasn’t that bad out here.” 

“Oh, it’s that bad,” Cid replied curtly, “But I have to say, it’s not all of ya. There’s a group of ya that makes the rest look bad. That’s all.” 

“I guess you’re right,” Armand agreed, folding his arms over his chest, “But not everyone sees that.” 

“No,” Cid responded, “Are you here to talk or to work?”

“I—“

“Go on, out! I’ll get more done without ya.”

Armand nodded and turned to leave. 

“Oh, and kid?” Cid called back, “Don’t worry so much. It’s bad for ya health.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Prompto was sprawled out along the length of his bed in the camper, frowning at the glowing phone in front of his face. He’d texted Gladio and Noct a while ago, but still hadn’t got a reply from either of them. He’d even written across his wrist to make sure they knew he Was trying to contact them. But he hadn’t heard anything. 

“Hey, Prom,” Armand greeted casually when he ducked inside the door, dropping a tube of barbecue flavoured crisps on his brother’s bed, “Dinner. We all know I can’t cook worth shit.” 

Prompto managed a small smile as he grabbed the tube, finally discarding his phone to the edge of his bed, “Thanks. Hey... have you heard from the others?” 

The older Argentum noticed the way Armand’s hand went to his wrist, “No. But I lost my phone, so I’m relying on Soulbond.” 

Prompto nodded, “I texted Gladio and Noctis earlier but I haven’t heard back. You think the Feds are gonna carry on attacking Insomnia even when they realise I’m not there?” 

“I really don’t know, Prom,” Armand admitted, moving to sit next to Prompto’s feet, “The MTs aren’t exactly smart. At the end of the day, they’re programmed beings. So we can’t know for sure.”

“I thought maybe they’d let off but... Oh, _Seche_ , what if they’re dead?” 

Armand’s eyes hardened, “They’re not dead. You do know what happens when a Soulmate dies, right?” 

“Yeah, of course.” 

“And has anything scarred?” 

Prompto shook his head, rolling up his sleeve to show Armand the inside of his wrist where his own writing stood stark against pale skin; 

_Are you okay?_  
_Guys?_

“Then they’re alive,” Armand summarised, “As long as the last thing they wrote doesn’t show up scarred on your arm, you’re fine. They’re alive. They’re probably just... busy.” 

Prompto sighed, sticking his hand in the crisp tube and shoving two in his mouth at once. 

In silent agreement, Armand took one as well. 

“We can’t do much here,” He concluded, “We can just... wait for them to contact us. It’s all we can do.” 

The older Argentum nodded, still munching. 

Before bed, Armand wrote another message on his arm; 

_‘I love you. You promise you’ll be okay.’_

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Prompto, can I use your phone?” Armand called, watching his brother and Cindy drive around the gas station in the Regalia at a much faster pace then before. 

He waited until the car slowed to a graceful stop beside him, and Prompto reached into the cupholder to pass his little brother the phone, “Sure, why?”

“I want to try and call them again,” Armand admitted, taking the phone over the convertible door, “Thanks.”

“No problem.” 

Armand wandered away again, back down towards the plastic chairs outside the camper as Prompto drove away, scrolling through the contacts on the phone. He clicked on the name reading _‘Ignis’_ and waited for the phone to dial. 

It rung a few times, and Armand could feel his heart dip with every vibration. 

Until it clicked on. 

_“Sunshine, hey.”_

“Gladio?” Armand said into the receiver 

_“Oh, Armand,”_ Gladio’s voice sounded gruff and raw, _“Are you okay, is everything okay?”_

“I... everything’s fine,” Armand replied, frowning, “Are you okay?” 

_“We’ve been... dealing with it,”_ Gladio paused, sighing heavily, _“There’s damage. A lot of people are in hospital, but there weren’t many casualties. The MTs withdrew when they realised you weren’t here. They just stopped and... left.”_

Armand found himself nodding despite not being seen, “But you’re all safe, right? You, Noct, and Ignis?” 

Gladiolus hesitated, _“We’re safe. Yeah, we’re all safe.”_

“Not that I don’t like talking to you, Gladio, but... where’s Iggy? Can I talk to him?” 

_“Lemme go and find him.”_

There’s silence on Armand’s part as he listened to Gladio move through wherever he was, until he finally spoke again but not to Armand. 

_“Hey, Iggy, I’ve got Armand on the phone. He wants to talk to you.”_

The was another pause, and then shuffling as the phone was passed. 

_“Armour, are you safe?”_

Armand instantly felt ten times lighter at Ignis’ voice, finally feeling like he took his first deep breath in ages. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, we’re fine. Worried sick.” 

_“I’m sorry. I should have called when everything was over.”_

“It’s okay, I get it. Gladio said there were casualties, you guys had to deal with them. I’m just glad you’re okay. You are okay, right?” 

_“I’m okay. I promised you I would be.”_

“Yeah, you did,” Armand pulled his legs up onto the plastic chair, resting his chin on his knees, “I guess there are no pens lying around. It was kind of stupid of me to assume you’d have time to write back but not text.” 

Armand frowned at the choked up sound that came from the other end of the line, but assumed he’d imagined it when Ignis spoke again, _“Sorry. I haven’t had a chance.”_

“It’s fine,” Armand dismissed, “I miss you.” 

_“I miss you too,”_ Ignis sighed, _“So much. We can send someone down tomorrow to come and collect you.”_

“I think we’ll be fine,” Armand admitted, eyes following the car Prompto now handled with ease as it stopped and his brother climbed out, “Cindy taught Prompto how to drive. We can bring the Regalia back with us.” 

_“In a day?”_

“He’s surprisingly good,” Armand cracked a a small smile, “I swear we won’t break Noct’s car. I’d rather die than see that car damaged in any way.” 

Ignis chuckled lightly, _“I trust you. It’s not too long of a drive anyway.”_

“Is that Ignis?” Prompto yelled, making his way over. 

“I think Prompto wants a word with the others,” Armand said into the speaker, ignoring his brother, “We’ll set off tomorrow morning.” 

_“Okay. I love you.”_

“I love you too. And don’t worry about your missing pens; we’ll bring some back from Hammerhead with us.” 

_“Yes,”_ Ignis’ voice cracked, _“I’ll see you sooner than you know.”_

Prompto practically snatched the phone when it was offered to him. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“I know you’re overwhelmed with a lot of things,” Gladiolus stated firmly, and Ignis heard him sit heavily in the chair next to his bed, “But I have to ask; why do you sound like you’re about to cry?” 

“I’m not,” Ignis replied adamantly, but the shaking in his hands betray him, “Everything is fine.” 

“Everything is far from fine,” Gladio scoffed, “You just lied to your Soulmate over the phone. You told him you’d see him soon, for Six’s sake! You need to talk to us.” 

“I don’t _need_ to do anything.” 

“Ignis Stupeo Scientia.” 

Ignis took a deep breath and let it out shakily, “He wrote to me, Gladio. He wrote to me and I can’t read it.” 

Gladiolus didn’t reply at first, “I’m sorry.” 

“He seems to be under the impression that the MTs took all of our pens.” 

Gladio let out a sad chuckle, but apologised again, “I’m sorry.” 

Ignis wound his hands in the bed blanket and let go again, almost therapeutically, then held his arm out to his friend, “What did he say?” 

He listened as Gladio leaned forward and took Ignis’ hand in his, rolling up his sleeve to show the black words written against the inside of his wrist.

“He said;” Gladio paused to clear his throat, “‘I love you. Promise you’ll be safe.’” 

“I let him down,” Ignis murmured, pulling his arm away to lay his other hand over his wrist, “I let him down, and I lied to him about it. Gladio, I can’t _see_.” 

“I know, buddy, I’m sorry,” Gladio sighed, “But it’s Armand. Armand, the kid who was a hired assassin since he was old enough to walk and hold a weapon. The amount of dangerous things he’s done in his life is unreal, you expect me to believe he doesn’t have scars? Ignis, he’s not going to hold this against you. Sure, he’ll probably be pissed that you didn’t tell him but he’s not going to care.” 

Ignis didn’t reply. 

“Whatever, just... Try to explain it to him, okay? He will understand,” Gladiolus pushed himself to his feet, “I’m gonna go check on Noct. I’ll be back soon.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“And we’re finally back,” Prompto grinned, pulling into the roundabout in front of the Citadel, “Doesn’t look in too bad a shape, does it?” 

Armand had to agree, even though Insomnia had been attacked by MTs not even three days before, the city looked to be in one piece and only a few roads were closed off. 

Before they could even think about getting out of the car, however, an armed Kingsglaive was heading over to them, looking grim. 

“You’re the guys with the prince, right?” He started in lo of a greeting, “They’re waiting for you up at the hospital. You know where that is?” 

“Yeah,” Prompto replied, swallowing down the sinking feeling as he switched gears, “We’ll head there now. Thanks.” 

The Kingsglaive nodded and drew back, watching the car pull back out of the Citadel and drive down the street. 

“They said they were fine,” Armand reminded, “They must be helping out with recovery and stuff.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Prompto agreed, “We spoke to them yesterday. We know they’re fine.” 

Prompto easily handled the car through the streets, and after a few minutes pulled into a partially destroyed car park. He shut the car off and the two headed silently into the hospital. 

The reception area was a mess. Loud and rowdy, everyone was sitting on the dirty linoleum floor or leaning against the supposed-white walls. There were three receptionists trying to shout over the noise to get some sort of order. 

Prompto and Armand shared a look, and tried to grab the attention of one of the receptionists. 

“I’m sorry, there is a list of people waiting to be seen or to see, so you’ll have to wait,” An exhausted looking brunette informed them shortly, before going back to what she was doing. 

“We’re with Prince Noctis,” Prompto tried, hoping for some sort of reaction. 

The brunette barely looked up, “Sure. And I’m next in line for the throne.” 

Prompto scowled and went to retort when—

“Prompto! Armand!” 

The brothers looked away from the receptionists to see Gladiolus heading down a hallway towards them from deeper within the hospital. He grinned as he approached them, drawing them both into tight hugs. 

“Oh, it’s so good to see you guys,” He smiled, checking the smaller brothers over, “Are you both okay? No problems getting here? We sent a ‘glaive down to the Citadel to meet you.” 

“They found us, no problem,” Prompto replied, “I know we’ve been in touch but — it’s _such_ a relief to see you!” 

“Yeah, I get it,” Gladio chuckled, “C’mon, I’ll take you to the others.” 

Gladiolus ushered them both past the receptionist who didn’t even bother to stop them, and down the corridor he came from. 

“Iggy’s been stressed out of his mind,” He added as he led them up a staircase, “He’ll be so relived you’re here. But, uh... don’t make him feel too bad, okay? He already feels super guilty he didn’t say anything earlier.” 

“Guilty about what?” Armand frowned a little, following Gladio dutifully towards a hospital room door. 

“Just... let him talk, I guess. Give him a chance to explain,” Gladio explained cryptically, “I’ll take Prom to see Noct. We’ll be down the hall so just shout if you need us. Oh, and... knock.” 

Armand crossed his arms over his chest almost self consciously but nodded, still confused, as Gladio drew Prompto down the hall. 

He turned to face the door properly, raised a fist, and knocked. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“What happened to Ignis?” Prompto demanded when they were just barely around the corner. 

“He’s okay,” Gladio replied, “He’s alive, and he’s safe.” 

“Is that what I asked?” The blond frowned, glaring harshly at the bigger man, “What happened?” 

“It’s really not my place to say,” Gladio averted his eyes, “He’ll tell Armand and then he’ll tell you, I guess. Please don’t put me in this position, sunshine. It’s not my place.” 

Prompto softened at the nickname, “Yeah, okay. That’s fair enough. Noct’s okay, though, right?” 

“A little banged up, but he’s fine. He’s around somewhere. He doesn’t really leave this floor.”

“Best get looking, then.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Armand pushed the door open before he heard a reply, to wired with anticipation and nerves to wait around. He stepped into the hospital room, eyes very quickly scanning the room for anything. 

And then he saw Ignis sat up in the hospital bed, head tilted towards the door. 

With thick bandages covering his eyes. 

“What the fuck.”

“Armand?” Ignis asked in the blond’s general direction. 

“I... what the fuck,” Armand cleared his throat, “I mean... you said you were okay. No, you promised!” 

Ignis shifted in the bed uncomfortably, “I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t want... I didn’t want to worry you.” 

“Well, I’m not worried,” Armand commented harshly, “Angry, maybe. Upset? For sure.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Armand didn’t reply, but made sure he was heard as he moved to drop himself into the empty chair about a foot away from the bedside. 

“Armour?” 

“Gladiolus said to give you a chance to explain. So I am,” He took a deep breath, and tried to ignore the way his voice wavered and finally broke, “Why did you lie to me?” 

Ignis laid his palms flat against the bedsheets, staring into the nothingness in front of him, “I... I saved Noct’s life. By... do you know about the Ring of the Lucii?” 

Armand shook his head, then caught himself, “No. I don’t.” 

“It’s a ring that only a Lucis Caelum can wield. It’s extremely powerful,” Ignis explained, deathly still, “King Regis passed it on to Noct before he died. He must have dropped it during the battle, because I found it. We were being overrun so I did the only thing I could do.”

“You used it.” Armand guessed. 

Ignis nodded slowly, “I had to. But the gods wouldn’t let me wield it without a price. So they took my sight,” He paused, “I still have no regrets.”

“But why did you lie?” Armand repeated, and found himself pulling away from his Soulmate, “You could have told me.”

“I told you; I didn’t want to worry you.” 

“Oh yeah? And how well did that work?” 

Ignis swallowed, hands fisting in the thin sheet, “I’m sorry.” 

Armand held back the angry tears pressing hot against his eyes, but gasped when he couldn’t hold his breath anymore. 

Ignis turned his head towards the blond, voice anything but steady, and said, “Armour?” 

“I’m sorry,” Armand whispered, “I— I need to breath, for a minute. I’ll—“ 

And without waiting for a reply, pushed himself forcefully from the chair and darted out of the hospital room. He retraced his steps quickly through the hospital, down the stairs and past the busy reception area, back outside into the crisp night air. 

It was raining heavily, but Armand barely seemed to notice as he was drenched in a matter of seconds; blond hair turning caramel and plastering to the back of his neck. He walked to the edge of the car park, tears blurring his sight. 

He swiped a hands over his eyes, and took in a shuddering breath. He rested his forearms on the railing separating the path from the road and leaned forward against it. He breathed in slowly, letting his tears mix with the cold rain pouring down. 

Heart hammering in his chest, Armand patted his pockets down until he felt the phone. Barely even thinking twice, he pulled it out and unlocked it. He navigated to the contacts list and scrolled down until he found the one named as _‘FoS’._

He tapped the contact, and then tapped _‘call’._ He had to hit it a few times until it registered, the rain causing the touchscreen not to recognise it, until it started dialling. 

Armand held his mother’s phone to his ear and wiped his eyes again. He listened to it ring for a moment, feeling his heart beat firmly against his ribs, he had to know who had done this, _who had done this—_

__

__

_“Regnet es dort?”_

Armand’s mouth went dry. The voice was eerily familiar, and he gripped the phone painfully hard. 

_“Belinda?”_ The voice said after a moment of silence.

He hung up immediately, and lobbed the phone across the car park. It smashed against the tarmac and skidded a few feet before stopping in about three separate pieces of glass and wires. He squeezed the railing tightly, and made a decision. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“So, what’s up with Ignis?” Prompto asked once he’d sat down in the hospital’s canteen with Noct and Gladio, “Why won’t you tell me?” 

The pair exchanged a look, and Noct smiled sheepishly, “It wasn’t good. Can we leave it at that for now? I’m sure Armand will fill you in later.” 

Prompto frowned, “Yeah, but... I’m sure he already knows by now, and you guys know so why can’t you just tell me?” 

“It’s not really our place to say.” 

“Sorry, sunshine,” Gladio apologised, casually knocking Noct’s hand away from playing with the stitches on his forehead, “It wouldn’t feel right telling Iggy’s story.” 

Prompto bit his lip, and without thinking, said, “We promised no secrets.” 

Gladiolus paused, “Huh?”

“When we said we’d give this thing a try,” Prom continued, “We talked about communication, y’know?” He scoffed to himself and lowered his gaze, playing with the hem of his shirt, “Never mind, I’m just being stupid.”

“You’re not being stupid,” Noctis shakes his head, “I know how it feels to have people keep things from you, it isn’t nice. I’m sorry.” 

Gladio smiled sadly in agreement, “Yeah. We’ll catch you up.” 

Training was something Prompto feared he’d never overcome, a part of him that would never be able to function normally. But it wasn’t _really_ manipulation to get your own way if it was family... right?

“So... he’s completely blind?” He questioned once Gladio and Noct had finished. 

“We don’t know yet,” Noct replied with tears in his eyes, “There’s a chance he’ll have some sight left, but we can’t know for sure.” 

“Six...” Prompto breathed, “Armour’s—“ 

The blond cut himself off when someone grabbed his shoulder harshly and pulled him back. 

“Can I have a word?” Armand hissed at his older brother, already pulling him out of his seat. 

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Prompto agreed, shooting his partners an awkward smile as he was dragged out of the canteen and back into the corridor. 

Armand’s hand was a vice on Prompto’s arm as he quickly looked around the corridor and then tugged his brother into an empty hospital room, flicking the lights on as the door shut behind them. 

The room was a mess, with bloodstained bedsheets and medication scattered across the floor. To any other person, the room would have been a disturbing sight, but to them...

“Are you okay?” Prompto started, “I heard about Ignis, I—“ 

“I’m going to kill Ravus.” 

Prompto blinked at Armand’s interruption, then replied, “You’re crazy.” 

“No,” Armand snapped, “I’m going to _kill_ Ravus. Soon. Are you in, or not?” 

“I mean, I know he’s a bit of a dick but—“ 

“He’s leading the Federation,” Armand growled, eyes suspiciously wet and fists clenched by his sides, “He did this, Prompto, he _hurt Ignis—_ “ 

“What are you _talking_ about, how do you know?” 

“I called the number on mom’s phone,” He huffed, getting frustrated, “Ravus picked up. He’s in charge of the Feds now, he sent the attacks.” 

“Wait; you called a number on a random phone and someone picked up? More than that; _King Ravus_ of Niflheim picked up?” 

“Yes!” Armand exclaimed, “Look, are you going to help me or not? Otherwise I’ll go by myself.” 

“No, no,” Prompto sighed, “I’m in, of course I’m in.” 

“Good.” Armand nodded firmly, and headed for the door. 

“When are we leaving?” 

“Soon. I want to say goodbye first.” 

With worried eyes, Prompto watched as his brother walked out of the room and couldn’t help but think they might be making a mistake. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Ignis looked to his right when he heard the door open, making his heart skip a beat as he listened to the newcomer sit down somewhere to his side. 

“Hey.” 

He gripped the bedsheets tightly, “Armour, I’m so sorry—“

“It’s... fine,” Armand cut off, “It’s fine. Sorry I left, I just...” 

“It’s fine,” Ignis breathed, “It’s fine.” 

Armand nodded to himself, knowing he couldn’t be seen, and crossed his arms over his chest, “... Look, it’s late. I’ll come by tomorrow, and we can talk some more then. Maybe if we’re not tired, we’ll feel better about everything and...” 

“Yes, maybe,” Ignis agreed, “I’ll see—“ He breathed out harshly and took a breath, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then?” 

“Yeah, of course,” Armand said quietly as he stood up. He leaned over and kissed Ignis gently on his forehead, “Rest up. Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight,” Ignis replied, “I love you.” 

Armand paused, “I love you too.” 

And the door shut behind him. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Armand found Prompto waiting for him outside the hospital, the rain having cleared up a little until it was only drizzling. 

“What’d you tell him?” He asked, hands tucked warmly in his pockets. 

“That I’d come and see him tomorrow,” Armand replied, joining his brother before they started across the car park, “You didn’t go back to Noct and Gladio?” 

“Nah,” The older of the pair shook his head, “They can deal without me. They have for a long time.” 

Armand narrowed his eyes, but didn’t respond. 

They stopped beside the Regalia, when Armand caught Prompto’s arm, “We can’t. We’ll be too recognisable in that.” 

Prompto nodded and pulled away, “Okay. But I don’t have anything to jimmy a car door open with.” 

“Just smash the window, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to catch a train anyway.” 

The pair found a silver car parked in the corner of the car park, where Prompto smashed the window in with his elbow. He didn’t make eye contact as he reached inside to open the door, and started brushing the glass off of the driver’s seat. Armand found the spare car key in the glovebox, and they quickly drove out of the car park under the cover of darkness. 

“How do you plan on doing it?” Prompto asked once they’d ditched the car and were comfortably hidden with the cargo at the back of the train. 

“Dunno,” Armand muttered, “It won’t be painless though.” 

Prompto didn’t look up from where he was picking at the leather soul of his shoe, “What would mom think about this?” 

He could barely hear Armand’s breath catch over the rattling of the train, “What?” 

Prompto shrugged, “Y’know. Us. Going back to a place we swore we’d never return to, to kill a man we barely even know.”

“I don’t think either of us really meant it when we said we’d never go back,” Armand shook his head, “Some places you can’t just leave behind.” 

“She nice?” 

He glanced up at his older brother, “I thought she was. Until she called Ravus.” 

Prompto nodded silently, “Part of me wishes I’d have come but... there was something I didn’t tell you.” Armand inclined his head as a signal to continue. “You know about the tradition, every baby in Niflheim gets left something from their parents just in case they get taken?” 

Armand scrunched his nose, “Vaguely, that’s not the version I knew, but yeah. Why?” 

“We didn’t get left anything. Either of us, either time. That’s... unheard of. Almost like being abandoned. That’s why I didn’t come. I was scared.” 

Armand nodded slowly, then shrugged, “Okay. Thanks for telling me.” 

“That’s it?” Prompto frowned, “You’re not mad?” 

“We’ve had his argument already, when you told me that we weren’t given up; we were taken. It’s done, I forgive you.”

He smiled, “Thank you.” 

The phone laying in between them buzzed again, and the screen lit up to show Noct’s name dance across the front. 

“That’s the eighth time he’s called,” Prompto counted, declining the call, “And I can barely see the skin on my arms anymore.” 

Armand picked up the phone, scrolling back through the messages that all held the same sort of content: 

**Noct: Hey, u’ve been gone for a while, u ok?**

**Noct: Prompto?**

**Noct: Dude, everything ok?**

Gladio: Prompto did you take Armand to a hotel or something? Iggy said he left

**Noct: Where have you gone????**

**Noct: PROMPTO**

Gladio: We just want to know if you’re safe, sunshine

**Noct: Why can’t I track your location??? WHERE ARE U**

**Noct: CALL ME BACK**

Gladio: Call me please

**Noct: Please prom**

“I’ll have to get a new phone once we get back,” Prompto commented, “One that hasn’t been ripped apart to get to the GPS chip. They’ll probably never trust me again, though.” 

“What, for running away to commit treason and murder all in one day?” Armand joked. 

“Yeah,” Prompto scoffed, “Hey, remember when I was like, ten, and they taught us how to lie effectively?” 

“Yeah?” 

“And how to get our own way?” 

“... Yeah?”

“I do it without thinking, sometimes. I did it earlier.” 

“To Gladiolus and Noctis? Why?” Armand frowned, “Is it not... working?” 

“It is,” Prompto nodded, “Just... they wouldn’t tell me what happened to Ignis, so I used some things against them so they’d tell me. I didn’t even realise what I’d done until afterwards. Does that make me a bad person?” 

“No!” Armand shook his head adamantly, “No, of course not. They were keeping things from you.” 

“I’ll stop doing that someday, right? It’ll stop being a reflex?” 

“Of course,” Armand replied, “Of course.” 

The phone lit up again, this time showing Gladio’s name. 

“Six,” Armand muttered, “They don’t give up, do they?” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“How long have they been gone?” Ignis asked calmly. 

“Almost four hours, I think,” Noct answered, slumping into the visitor’s chair, “They won’t reply to their phones or Soulbond.” 

“Armand doesn’t have his phone,” Ignis inserted, “He left it at his mother’s house.” 

“Well, Prompto has his. I can’t track it, he must have taken the GPS chip out. How, I have no idea.” 

The door to the hospital room opened, and Gladio walked in, kicking it shut behind him, “Finally got someone to show me the CCTV footage.” 

“And?” Noct asked, turning in his chair to face his Soulmate, “Where are they?” 

“They left the Regalia in the car park, broke into another car and drove off in it,” Gladiolus explained, “They turned left out of the car park. That’s all it shows.” 

“Damn it!” Noct growled, throwing himself against the back his chair, ”Where did they go?!”

“Iggy, what was he like the last time you were with Armand?” Gladio questioned, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. 

“After he came back, he seemed distracted. He wasn’t in here for long, pretty much all he said was that he’d come by tomorrow to talk,” Ignis recounted, “I told him I loved him, and he hesitated.” 

“What?” Noct responded, sounding confused, “Hesitated?” 

“I think he already knew he wasn’t coming back.” 

“Like, at all?” Gladio frowned, “You think they’re gone for good?” 

“I don’t know,” Ignis replied, “I really hope not.” 

“We have to bring them back,” Noctis decided, “We have to go after them, and bring them back.” 

“We have no leads, Princess,” Gladio shook his head faintly, “No ideas.” 

Noctis sighed, resting his forearms on his knees, “We have to find something. There has to be something.” 

Gladio made a noise of surprise, and fumbled for his phone, “Oh, Six, please be them.” 

“Who is it? What does it say?” Noct shot desperately. 

Gladiolus swiped through his phone to read the message, “It’s from Prompto. It says ‘Ravus’. That’s it.” 

“Ravus?” Noct echoed. 

“He’s the new king of Niflheim,” Ignis informed, “Prompto and Armand weren’t very fond of him.” 

“Wait, Luna’s brother; Ravus?” Noct asked. 

Gladio stood, tapping at his phone, “My texts won’t send. They’re not going through anymore, he must have totalled his phone.” 

“Shit,” Noctis breathed, pulling his own phone out, “I’ll text Luna, see if she knows anything.” 

“Why would he text you a name?” Ignis wondered aloud, “And then break his phone completely? We already can’t track him, he tore the circuit board apart. There’s no point in doing that unless he thinks someone else is going to go through his— Armand.” 

“Iggy?” Gladio questioned quietly. 

“Prompto doesn’t want Armand to know he text you,” Ignis realised, “They’re together, and we can’t track them. They only had the phone on to read your messages. Prompto sent you a text and then broke the phone completely, to stop whoever he is with - Armand - from reading the message. Prompto gave us a lead, and Armand doesn’t know.” 

“Why doesn’t he want Armand to know?” Noct frowned. 

“It must have been Armand’s idea to leave,” Gladio guessed, “And now Prom’s having second thoughts. But why ‘Ravus’? What’s he got to do with anything?” 

“They’re going back to Niflheim,” Noctis breathed, “They’re going back to Niflheim! That’s where we need to go, that’s where we’ll find them!” 

“They’d be there by now,” Ignis started pushing the duvet back on the hospital bed, “We need to move to make up for time.” 

“Whoa, whoa, Iggy,” Gladio halted, putting a firm hand on Ignis’ shoulder to stop the man from moving, “What are you doing?” 

“Gladio’s right, you can’t come with us,” Noct agreed, standing up, “You’re still injured, Ignis. You need time to recover.” 

“I’m not going to stay here while my closest friends and Soulmate are out doing Six knows what,” Ignis retorted, “I’m coming with you.” 

“Ignis...” 

“You’re not fighting me on this,” He snapped. 

“Fine,” Gladio gave in, “But you’re staying close and you’re not fighting. And you’re using the cane.” 

“Fine.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“I definitely didn’t miss the snow,” Prompto admitted, kicking said snow as they shuffled down the path in coats that didn’t belong to them.

“Yeah, me either,” Armand agreed, “We won’t be here for very long. Let’s get this over with.” 

“Where are we headed, anyway?” Prompto asked, “Home—“ He caught himself, clearing his throat, “The palace? Or...?” 

“The offices,” Armand replied, “He should be around there somewhere at some point. We’ll just wait until he arrives.” 

“So much for being in and out.” 

They wandered down the snow covered streets, hoods up so no one could see their faces, until they eventually came to a stop outside a grande tower-like building. 

“It looks different without the MTs standing guard, doesn’t it?” Prompto commented casually. 

“Yeah,” Armand agreed nonchalantly, “Means we can get in easier, though. Come on.” 

They walked straight through the front door, into the lobby with its marble floorings and wooden reception desk. There were two staircases up either side of the room, with people going about their days. 

Sparing a look to make sure the receptionist wasn’t paying attention, Armand pulled his brother up the long flight of stairs on the right and down another grande hallway. 

“What if we get noticed?” Prompto hissed, “We’re not exactly unrecognisable.” 

“Just keep walking and be quiet,” Armand whispered back, tugging the hood of his coat further over his eyes, “If we act like we’re meant to be here, they’ll leave us alone.” 

Prompto shoved his hands into his pockets and carried on down the hallway, until Armand nudged his arm and nodded towards a maintenance door. Prompto inclines his head, then heads to the door. He spared a look down the empty corridor, and shoved the door open with his shoulder, holding it ajar so Armand could squeeze past. He followed his younger brother in afterwards. 

The door had lead out to a balcony area, dimly lit using lit torches across the walls with ivy growing wrapped around the railing. It was overhanging a semicircle shaped courtyard with its own balcony looking over the side of a mountain that had given way years ago, leading to a sharp drop. 

The offices had been built in and on a mountain that lined the border of the kingdom, but half had fallen away when Prompto and Armand were children, taking a large part of the building with it. The courtyard was built in its place, half outside, and kept as a quiet area for employees and visitors. The maintenance balcony above it was hardly ever used, however was kept for gardeners to look after the plants that had taken to growing up the walls and railings. 

“Now what?” Prompto asked lowly, “Why do you seemed to have planned this?” 

“I haven’t,” Armand answered, “I’m just improvising. But I remember Lolia’s schedule, and I memorised where Ravus spent his time when he visited so I didn’t have to be around him, do you remember?” 

“I guess,” Prompto shrugged, wrapping his arms around himself, “It was a long time ago, Armour. We were only kids. Why are we even _here_?” 

Armand blinked owlishly, “Well, because this is where Ravus—“ 

“No, I mean, why are we in Niflheim? Armour, don’t you think we acted rashly? Maybe this isn’t a good idea.” 

“Prompto, he tried to kill us. He injured Ignis so badly. I can’t let that slide,” He sighed, “You’re my brother, Prom, I thought we always stood together.” 

“Of _course_ I’m always going to stick with you, I—“ Prompto cut himself off, frowning, “You just did it.” 

“Huh?” Armand cocked his head to one side, “Did what?” 

“Manipulated me,” Prompto replied, then shook his head, “It’s so easy to fall for.” 

“I just—“ Armand stuttered over his words, mind working a million miles an hour, “I didn’t even— This is _right_ , Prompto! We’re sticking up for family! Aranea said... Aranea said to never let anyone mess with the people we care about.” He tugged the chain from around his neck and held it out to his brother, “This is _right_. This has to happen. Please.” 

Prompto stared hard at the locket hanging from Armand’s fist, watching it sway in the cold breeze, watching how Armand shook. 

“Yeah,” He smiled weakly, voice cracking, “Of course.” 

The sound of a door opening made both brothers pull back away from the edge instinctively, Armand dropping the locket to the tiled floor. 

The person who entered the courtyard below them headed straight for the balcony on his level, white cloak billowing behind him. He stopped at the edge, leaning against the railing. Shoulder length white hair blowing in the breeze, the man gazed out where the mountain should have been and where the canyon created in its’ place lay. 

“That’s him,” Armand muttered, stretching his hand out and in a shimmering blue light, a sniper rifle appeared in his hand which he thrust into Prompto’s arms, “Here. You’ve always been better with a gun than me.” 

“Whoa, no way,” Prompto tried to hand the gun back, “This was your idea, you do it!” 

Armand frowned, looking confused, “But, you agreed to come? You said you were for it. Take the shot!” 

Prompto turned the sniper rifle towards Ravus, resting it on the railing in front of him. Finger ghosting the trigger, he hesitated. 

“What are you waiting for?” Armand hissed, “C’mon, shoot him!” 

Ravus started below them, turning to look behind him, “Who’s there?”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Luna’s going to meet us near the station,” Noct shouted over the wind, putting his phone away, “She’ll take us to Ravus!” 

Gladio nodded from the driver’s seat of the Regalia, “I’ve broken every speed limit so far, as per your orders, we’ll be there soon!” 

“This can’t be safe,” Ignis retorted from the back seat, “Surely!” 

“Get over it, Specs, we need to find them now!” Noctis responded over his shoulder, “Six, I hope they’re safe. And that they haven’t done anything stupid.” 

Gladiolus reached a hand over the gear stick to squeeze Noct’s knee, “We’ll be there soon. Don’t worry.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Prompto ducked behind the railing, pulling his brother down with him. 

“Hello?” Ravus called out from below in fluent Gralean, “Who’s there? Come out! I will have you arrested if you don’t show yourself!” 

“Gee, what an _arschloch_ ,” Armand huffed. 

“Shut up!” Prompto hissed back. 

“Reveal yourself! I will call the royal guard!” 

“Oh, yadda yadda,” Armand rolled his eyes as he slipped out of his coat, and summoned his arm-blades, “Someone needs to teach him some manners.” 

“No, don’t!” Prompto leaned forward to grab his brother, but Armand slipped through his fingers and launched himself over the balcony and to the courtyard beneath. 

“Hey!” Armand yelled as he landed, getting Ravus’ attention before charging at him, “It’s me you’re looking for!” 

“You!” Ravus lifted a hand and caught Armand’s blade with a _clang!_ on metal fingers, “You’re supposed to be dead!” 

“I don’t die easy!” Armand snapped back, kicking Ravus’ feet out from underneath him. 

Ravus caught his balance and pulled Armand down with him as he rolled back, “Foolish of you to come alone.” 

“Who said he was alone?” 

The new king looked around at the second voice, seeing the older brother standing beside him. 

“What is it you want?” Ravus sneered, “The throne back? The plan failed, you didn’t succeed the throne! This is the new plan! I need you dead so Niflheim can flourish!” 

He pushed himself to his feet quickly and rushed at Prompto who pointed his handgun forward and shot. The bullet hit Ravus’ left shoulder and bounced off, leaving Prompto to dive out of the way at the last minute when he pushed his cloak aside and unsheathed the sword strapped hidden to his belt. 

Armand launched himself at Ravus from behind, pulling the man back and away from Prompto. 

“We don’t want the throne!” Armand yelled, “You tried to kill us! You tried to kill our family!” 

“Family, what family?” Ravus snorted, whirling around with his sword to scare Armand off of him, “You mean Belinda? She sold you out!” 

“Because you tricked her!” Armand responded, slashing forward with his blades, “You told her we were dangerous!” 

“Look at yourselves!” Ravus stepped back, arms outstretched, “You _are_ dangerous.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Luna! Where’s Ravus?!” Noct ran when he saw his childhood friend, very briefly hugging her as Gladio hurried Ignis towards them. 

“I’m not sure exactly, but I can show you how to find out,” Lunafreya replied, fixing her white fur coat as her eyes caught on Ignis’ bandaged face and then to the cane he using, before turning away, “This way, come on.” 

She lead the group away from the station and into Gralea, power walking through the streets until they were hurrying into a tall building. She headed straight to a wooden reception desk, pushing through the queue. 

_“Verzeihung, ich muss die kameras live sehen,”_ She said to the woman behind the desk. 

_“Jetzt sofort, Eure Hoheit,”_ The woman nodded quickly, reaching under the desk to hand Lunafreya a small key. 

Luna took it with a reserved smile, and beckoned the others to follow her down a corridor beside a staircase. She hightailed it to a sturdy looking wooden door, unlocked it, and ushered the others inside. 

“I’m trusting you that they’re here,” She admitted, showing them to a desk filled with computer screens, “They’re recognisable people to us. They haven’t been spotted.” 

“They’re very careful,” Ignis said, letting Gladio guide him to sit in a computer chair. 

“Can I ask what happened?” She prompted to Gladiolus with a glance towards the Advisor. 

Gladio just shook his head and mouthed, ‘Not now’. 

Lunafreya nodded once, turning back to Noct, “Why are you all so worried?” 

“It’s dangerous for them here, and they ran away without telling us anything,” Noctis replied distractedly, “Our only lead is Ravus, and we need to find them.” 

“This isn’t just looking for them, Noct,” Lunafreya pointed out, “This is hunting them down. Why are you so desperate?” 

Noct looked away from the computer monitors, meeting Luna’s blue eyes, “Because I’m scared, and I love him.” 

Lunafreya’s gaze softened, and she looked away, “There! That’s them!” 

Noctis followed her finger, and clicked on the box in the top right of a monitor to make it full screen. The video footage showed both Prompto and Armand, with weapons drawn, facing off against Ravus. 

“Is there audio?” Gladio asked, leaning over Noct’s shoulder. 

Luna nodded and hit a button on the keyboard.

 _“You told her we were dangerous!”_

_“Look at yourselves! You_ are _dangerous.”_

“And this is real time?” Noct questioned. 

“I think there is about a thirty second delay,” Lunafreya answered. 

“Take me there,” He snapped, moving away from the console. 

“Okay,” Luna agreed immediately, shedding her coat and moving back towards the door. 

“Noct,” Gladio started, reaching out to the prince. 

“I’m not leaving room for argument,” Noct interjected, “I’m ordering you and Ignis to stay here. To disobey would be treason.” 

“Noctis,” Ignis pleaded. 

“No,” The prince cut off, “It’s an order. I’m sorry.” He caught the neck of Gladio’s jacket and pulled him down to kiss him, “I’ll try to be quick. Stay put.” He nodded, eyes hard, and followed Luna out of the door, patting Ignis on the shoulder as he passed. 

_“Do you want to die that badly?”_ Ravus’ voice crackled through the flimsy computer speakers, _“Go back to whatever sewer you crawled from.”_

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Armand cried out as he was slammed against the ivy covered wall, Ravus’ metal arm settling tight around his throat. 

“You crossed the border illegally, just to die in the place you were born,” He snarled. 

Prompto shot at Ravus from across the courtyard as Armand choked, hitting the wall beside them. Ravus dropped Armand to the floor to start towards the older of the two. 

But he was stopped short when something grabbed him from behind, and shoved him over. He toppled backwards, the backs of his legs hitting the railing of the balcony. Armand grabbed the front of his cloak, hanging him over the edge of the canyon. He summoned a dagger from the Armiger, holding it close to Ravus’ throat. 

Ravus looked below him at the cavern and then towards the dagger, finally meeting Armand’s eyes, “Tell me; are you afraid to die?” 

Armand blinked, “What?” 

“Does death scare you?” 

The soldier pushed the new King back further over the edge, “I will let go of you. Don’t test me.” 

“You came here to kill me, didn’t you? So do it.” 

“Armand,” Prompto started forward slowly, “You don’t have to do this.” 

“Of course I do!” Armand yelled over his shoulder, “He’s behind everything! He deserves this!” 

“You’re right, I deserve this,” Ravus hummed, “Push me.” 

“Don’t do it, Armour!” Prompto hissed. 

“Why not?!” Armand shouted back, “I came here to kill him! He put Ignis in hospital, Prompto, he might never see again! I told you I was going to kill him!” 

“Armand!” The door to the courtyard slams open, Noctis and Lunafreya running into the room. 

“Noct?!” Prompto gasped as the pair rushed up beside him, “Luna!” 

“Prompto!” Lunafreya returned. 

“Armand!” Noct took a slow step forward, “Stop.” 

“Why should I?” Armand growled, squeezing the hilt of his dagger and pushing it closer to Ravus’ neck. 

“Ignis is here,” Noctis began, taking another step forward, “We all came.” 

“Take another step, and I’ll let go of him.” 

“We all came. Ignis and Gladio are watching the cameras, they’re here.” 

“The cameras!” Armand cursed, “Why didn’t I think of the cameras?!” 

Noct looked back at the others, then stepped forward again, “Let him go, please. We can all go home, back to Insomnia, like none of this even happened.” 

Armand glared down at the man hanging over the edge of the canyon, “ _He_ is in charge of the Federation. _He_ sent the MTs after us. _He_ put Ignis in the hospital, Noct, what do you want me to do?!” 

__

__

“I want you to let him go,” Noctis repeated, “Armand. Please. Ignis and Gladio are watching the cameras, they have audio too. They can hear everything.” 

“Then they’ll know I have to do it,” Armand’s voice shook, “This is right. This is justice.” 

“This is revenge, Armand,” Lunafreya said, “Not justice. I don’t condone my brother’s actions, he won’t go unpunished even if he is the king. I’ll make sure of it.” 

“Please, Armand.” Prompto begged. 

“Ignis needs you.” Noct breathed, too quiet for the camera’s microphones to pick up. 

Armand stared down at the man at his mercy, and the canyon below. Eyes blurred with tears, he sent his dagger back to the Armiger and pulled Ravus back onto the balcony. He breathed out slowly, and turned away. 

Two hands grabbed his shoulders, jerking him back and over the railing of the balcony. 

Voices shouted in uproar as Armand tumbled over the edge, grabbing the man who had shoved him to try and save himself. In the process, both bodies fell backwards off the balcony. 

“Armand!” Prompto yelled, launching himself forward. 

“ _Arschloch_ , I’m losing my grip!” Armand shouted, one hand tight around the bottom of the metal railing. Ravus hung from around his waist, both dangling over the canyon. 

“Armour, I’m here!” Prompto leaned over the balcony, “Give me your other hand!” 

Armand reached his empty hand up to his brother, when Ravus tugged hard at his waist, causing him to slip further down. 

“ _What_ are you doing?!” Armand cried, “You’ll kill us both!”

“That’s the plan,” Ravus confessed, “My sister has a prophecy to fulfil. One way or another, I need you dead!”

“What are you talking about, what prophecy?!” Armand struggled, still trying to grab Prompto’s hand, “Kill me later, why don’t you?! Stop fidgeting!”

“I told Ardyn to kill you both when he killed Lolia! He refused, and got himself killed!” 

“Ardyn needed us alive!” 

“For an insignificant plan! You need to die! There is only one ending here! You die as you fall helplessly off the edge of this canyon!” 

“I don’t think so!” 

Armand threw himself upward, his hand locking securely in Prompto’s. As he moved, Ravus was jostled and his arms slipped. And just like that, he fell. 

“Ravus!” Lunafreya screamed, watching her brother’s body fall. 

Armand let himself be pulled up harshly by Prompto and Noctis who had joined them to help, falling unceremoniously into one of the lit torches on the wall. 

It tipped, instantly catching fire to the dry ivy covering the walls which spread around the room. 

“Uh oh,” Prompto gulped, “Whoops?”

“We have to go,” Noctis decided as the fire alarm was tripped, “Luna, c’mon. Gladio, Iggy, get out of there!”

He took Lunafreya by the arm and pulled her out of the now smoking room, not waiting for Armand to climb to his legs shakily and be ushered after them by his brother. 

The hallways were filled with people rushing to exit the building, and they smoothly joined the panic and followed them outside through the front door of the building. Prompto and Armand were huddled together, trying not to be noticed by the public as they were bundled outside with everyone else, the fire alarm ringing constantly behind them. 

Lunafreya steered them down the side of a building opposite the offices, “Is everyone okay?” 

“Your highness,” Armand started, “I am so sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” Luna smiled fleetingly, drying her tears with the sleeve of her dress, “It was his own fault.” 

“NOCT!” 

The group turned at the shout, seeing Gladiolus’ tall frame emerging from the crowd with Ignis. 

“We’re here!” Noct called back, waving to catch his Soulmate’s attention. 

Gladio saw him, and guided Ignis over to the alleyway where the others were hiding. 

“Hey, is everyone alright?” He asked as soon as he was close enough, shrugging off his leather jacket to pull it around Prompto’s shoulders before squeezing him tightly. 

“Ignis, I am so sorry,” Armand breathed, automatically fitting himself into Ignis’ embrace, “Why did you come? You should be healing.” 

“I came to find you,” Ignis replied, dropping his cane in preference of wrapping his arms around the lithe body in front of him, “Are you hurt?” 

“Battered and bruised, but I’ll live,” Armand laughed wetly, “Six, I am so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking, and now a man is dead and—“ 

“Hey, Armour,” Prompto interrupted, tapping his brother’s shoulder, “Not that it’s supposed to be funny, or anything, just that; three monarchs of Niflheim are dead. And we were there for all three.” 

“Would we say Ardyn was king, though?” Noctis clicked his tongue, “I mean technically?” 

“Not that I don’t love seeing you all, but you should probably get those two out of here,” Lunafreya piped up, “The fire department will be here soon, and I need to think of a cover story.” 

“Or,” Prompto said, “Don’t lie.” 

“What?” 

“Don’t lie. Tell the truth. Armand and I... killed the king, and caused the fire. But we died in the struggle too,” Prompto proposed, glancing towards his brother who was listening intently, “That way, you have a story that answers the people’s questions about where we went, and it stops them for searching for us. We get a new chance at living.” 

“I agree with Prompto,” Armand nodded, “Tell them we died.” 

“Guys,” Gladiolus said, “They won’t remember you nicely. You sure you want that? To be remembered as murderers?” 

“Instead of what? Instead of princes who fled Niflheim at the first sign of danger, never to return?” Prompto asked, “It doesn’t matter. I’d rather be remember for who I was, whether I killed the king or not.” 

“Okay,” Lunafreya agreed, “Thank you. It will put the minds of my people at ease. But you should go.” 

“Yeah, we parked the Regalia near the train station, c’mon,” Noct beckoned, leading the other’s out of the alleyway. 

Armand bent down to pick up Ignis’ discarded cane, handing it back to the man before turning back to Luna, “I really am, so sorry.” 

“Armand,” Lunafreya sighed, resting her hand on the man’s shoulder, “Please don’t fret. He wasn’t in the right either. Just get back Insomnia safely, okay?” 

He nodded, and patted her hand, “Thank you, your majesty.” He turned to leave with his Soulmate, but hesitated, “Hey, Luna? Ravus mentioned something about a prophecy you had to fulfil. And that I had to die because of it.” 

“A prophecy?” Ignis repeated, “Involving you?”

Lunafreya frowned, tilting her head curiously, “I’m the Oracle, Armand. I’m mentioned in many prophecies, some of them never come true. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Armand nodded, “It’s nothing. Hey, Iggy? Maybe don’t mention this to the others, okay? They don’t need to worry over nothing.” 

“Sure,” Ignis replied, holding his hand out for his Soulmate, “Come now, we should catch the others.” 

“Yeah. Thanks, Luna.”

She smiled faintly, and watched as Armand linked arms with Ignis and the two followed after the rest of the group. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Let’s save the adventures for a while, huh?” Gladiolus suggested as Noct parked the car outside the steps to the Citadel, “Maybe we should stay at home for a bit.” 

“Hey, Ignis?” Noct turned in the driver’s seat so he could see his Advisor sat diagonally behind him, “Am I busy tomorrow?” 

Ignis frowned behind the bandages, “I don’t believe so. Why?” 

“Can we plan a coronation in a day?” 

Prompto coughed on the water he was drinking, “What? In a day? Hate to break it to ya, Noct, but it’s about five in the morning at the moment and none of us have slept. Maybe leave it a few days, yeah?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m with Prompto,” Armand nodded quickly from the middle seat, “Let’s give it a bit.” 

Gladio chuckled, and they climbed out of the car to start up the steps to the Citadel. 

“You two have no more secret plans to overthrow any other monarchs, I hope,” He teased, holding the door open for the others. 

“No,” Armand shook his head, blond hair falling in front of his eyes, “No more plans for anything.” 

“Your highness!” A Kingsglaive approached them as they were barely in the foyer, “You have a guest waiting for you in your office. She says it’s urgent.” 

Noct groaned, throwing his arm around Prompto’s shoulders, “Okay, thanks. Anyone fancy coming to the office with me?” 

There was a chorus of agreements and the group set off up the stairs, chatting loudly amongst themselves as they went. Noctis kicked the door to the office open and they filed inside. 

Armand helped Ignis to one of the guest armchairs and went to sit himself on the arm of it when his eyes caught something sitting on the king’s desk. 

“Hey, that’s my phone,” He leaned forward and grabbed it, switching it on to see the family lock screen of himself and Ignis. There were text boxes covering it: 

Gladio: Dude mind if you bring Prompto back soon?

Gladio: You guys okay?

**Noct: Heyyyyy where are you? We can’t find u**

Gladio: Hello?? Iggy said you left

**Noct: We’re getting worried**

“But I left this in...” 

“Sorry to call you out so early, your majesty.” 

The group turned towards the voice, and Armand squeaked when he saw who it belonged to. 

“Oh! What are you...?” He cleared his throat, face hard, “This is Belinda. Mine and Prompto’s mother.” 

“Oh, so she’s the one who called the MTs,” Gladio growled, glaring at the woman. 

“I came to make sure you were all okay,” Belinda smiled sadly, “I am so sorry for what happened. I saw the messages on Armand’s phone, that they’d gone missing and I had to make sure they were alright.” 

She hesitantly approached Armand, but didn’t pull back at his lack of reaction. She held a hand up and gently traced the edge of a bruise showing up on his forehead. 

“You’ll live, I hope,” She sighed, drawing back to herself, “I need you to know that I am sorry. Ravus told me you were dangerous, and I didn’t know you. I just agreed with him. I didn’t know who you’d turned out to be. I see, now, I was wrong.” 

Armand held a hand out behind him, which Prompto took as he came up beside his younger brother. 

“This is Prompto,” Armand introduced, “Prom, this is Belinda. Our mother.” 

“Hi,” Prompto breathed, waving a little, “I have a question.” 

“Of course, dear,” Belinda nodded, tucking her greying hair behind her ear anxiously, “Ask away.” 

“Why didn’t you leave us anything?” 

She paused, frowning a little, “You mean when you were babies? I did. Six, of course I did. I wrote you a letter, from your father and I. And I left my necklace with Armand.” She sighed, lowering her gaze, “I supposed they never gave them to you. Now I know how much of an important part you both played, I’m not surprised they wanted you to have nothing to do with me.” 

Prompto blinked, blue eyes turning glassy, “Of course, my whole life of holding a grudge against you was all because of them. That makes so much sense. I’m sorry, mom.” 

He walked into the older woman’s arms, hugging her tightly and and burying his face in her shoulder. 

Armand reached a hand to his neck subconsciously, then gasped, “No!” 

“What is it?” Ignis asked immediately, grabbing Armand’s other hand. 

“I lost Aranea’s locket,” He sighed, “Damn it! I dropped it when we alerted Ravus.” 

“We’re not going all the way back for it,” Gladio joked, “Not now you’re legally dead,” 

“Yeah,” Prompto pulled away from Belinda, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand, “Yeah, it’s okay. All she really wanted was for us to get out, and we did. All we can do now, is make her proud.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. Obviously.” 

“May I suggest we all turn in for a few hours? I can’t remember the last time I slept, and I know you lot can’t either,” Ignis pointed out, using his cane to push himself to his feet. 

“Good idea,” Noctis nodded, pulling Prompto in for a tight hug, “I order everyone to go to bed, and not to get up until dinner. I can show to a room if you’d like, Ms Argentum?” 

“Thank you, your majesty, but I think I’ll take this time to explore the city. It’s been years since I’ve visited,” Belinda smiled warmly. 

“Alright,” Noct yawned into Prompto’s neck, making the man squirm and giggle, “Enjoy your day. No one bother me until I wake up.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“I’m sorry I ran.” 

“If you apologise to me one more time, I will kick you out.” 

“Nah,” Armand grinned, sliding under Ignis’ duvet, “You won’t.” 

Ignis turned onto his side, holding his hand out for Armand to take, “Of course I won’t. Doesn’t mean you should keep apologising. I think we’re even now.” 

Armand sighed, using his free hand to gently smooth out the edge of the bandages over Ignis’ eyes, “How long until you can take these off?” 

“I don’t know,” Ignis replied, “I don’t think I’ll get any of my sight back.” 

“There was a chance?” 

“A small one,” He brushed Armand’s hand away, “But I’m okay with it, I think. It will be a learning curve.” 

“Sure,” Armand whispered, laughing a little, “Ask me if I have any regrets.” 

“Any regrets?” 

“One,” The blond admitted, “That I let my anger get the better of me, and dragged everyone out to Niflheim to stop me from murdering someone.” 

“Ask me how many regrets I have,” Ignis requested. 

“Any regrets?” 

“One,” He echoed, “That we missed my proposal date because I blinded myself.” 

Armand made a noise at the back of his throat, “You set a date?” 

“And I bought a ring,” Ignis added, “But I guess we’ll have to wait, since you want it done properly...”

“This could be properly,” Armand said, “When I said properly, I meant not in danger of death. This could be properly.” 

Ignis smiled, “Check the top drawer of the cabinet.” 

Armand tumbled out of bed and fell onto the floor. He scrambled to his feet again and over to the cabinet in question, opening the drawer and feeling around at the back until he grabbed a small box hidden in the corner. He dashed back to the bed with it, leaving the drawer open, and thrust it into Ignis’ hand. 

“Yes!” 

“I haven’t asked yet,” Ignis responded, feeling around the box so it was the right way before opening it, “Armand—“ 

“Yes!” 

“Shut up, you,” Ignis said fondly, “Armand, I don’t have a speech prepared and I doubt you even want one. You already know everything I’d say anyway. Will you marry me?” 

“Yes!” Armand answered for a third time, taking the simple silver band from the box and sliding it onto his finger, “I love you so much.” 

“I love you,” Ignis replied, “Now do me a favour.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Go to sleep, and don’t plan anymore coups.” 

“Iggy,” Armand smiled, tucking himself against his Soulmate’s side, “ _Nothing_ could possibly go wrong now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! 
> 
> I’ve decided there will be a third instalment to whatever this is, so I hope you all enjoy. 
> 
> I really do appreciate you if you read this, I wasn’t expecting people to actually be interested this because of Armand, so if you did read this all the way through THANK YOU! 
> 
> Remember, comments give me motivation~!
> 
> Gralean Dictionary:  
> Soldats - Soldiers  
> mütter - mother  
> ruhet - weed (basically)  
> Seche - Six  
> Schwanz - shit head  
> ashiterr - trainer  
> leimed - Sorry  
> Regnet es dort - Is it raining?  
> Arschloch - asshole  
> Verzeihung, ich muss die kameras live sehen - Excuse me, I need to see the camera’s live feed  
> jetzt sofort - right away  
> Eure Hoheit - your highness


End file.
